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Creative Writing Program

Financial Support

All students admitted to the graduate Program in Creative Writing receive either a fellowship or teaching assistantship. Second-and third-year creative writing students may teach introductory Creative Writing Workshops. Third and fourth year students may teach intermediate workshops. For detailed information about teaching assistantships and fellowships, please visit the English website.

Teaching Assistantships

  • Teaching Assistantships: M.A.

    The English Department offers a variable number of teaching assistantships for the first year (includes 10 hours per week of apprenticeship in teaching writing); the assistantship for the second year includes teaching four sections per year (two per semester).
  • Teaching Assistantships: Ph.D.

    Most graduate students in the English Department will serve as a teaching assistant for part, or all, of their graduate careers. The English Department offers Ph.D. teaching assistantships to teach four sections per year for five years.

Fellowships

The Graduate School and the English Department offer a number of fellowships for incoming and continuing students.

Department Fellowships

  • Four PhD Fellowships of $12,380 per year ($13,040 after the first year) to teach three, instead of the usual four, sections per year for three years.
  • Three Creative Writing PhD Fellowships of $12,380 per year ($13,040 after the first year), one in poetry, one in fiction, and one in creative nonfction to teach two sections, instead of the usual four, per year for four years.
  • Mary-Joe Purcell Fellowship: For an incoming PhD student pursuing a degree in seventeenth- or eighteenth-century literary studies, a one-time grant of $5,000.
  • Donald E. and Mary Frances Hayden English Fellowship Award in 19th-Century British Literature. $1,000 lump sum to new graduate student in area.
  • John and Cynthia Shaw Fellowship in American Literature. $1,000 lump sum to new graduate student in area.

University and College Fellowships

For a complete listing, see the Graduate School's descriptions. Nominations for University and College Fellowships are made by the DGS in consultation with the Graduate Admissions Committee to especially promising applicants to the department. Prospective students cannot apply on their own. These fellowships include:

Five-Year Doctoral-Level Fellowship and Scholarship Programs

The Graduate School provides $8,000 for each of five years in addition to the department assistantship (at the current rate, $8,000 + $12,380 for a total of $20,380).

  • William Gregory Fellowships: Awards can be made to doctoral students in any discipline.
  • Adeline Hoffman Fellowships: For newly admitted doctoral students, who have and maintain a 3.3 GPA.
  • G. Ellsworth Huggins Scholarships: Awards can be made to doctoral students in any field, who must have and maintain a 3.5 GPA
  • Ronald E. McNair Fellowships: The program is designed to support newly admitted doctoral degree graduate students in any field who have successfully completed a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at a university other than MU, who have and maintained a 3.5 GPA.
  • Gus T. Ridgel Fellowships: This fellowship program assists qualified underrepresented minority graduate students in any field at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Masters or Doctoral-Level Fellowship/Scholarship Programs

  • David R. Francis Fellowships: Awards are for graduate students newly admitted into master's or doctoral degree programs in either public affairs or creative literature.

    The nomination materials for this fellowship program from creative literature applicants must include an original composition. At the master's level, the stipend is $5,000 from the Graduate School with an equal amount of matching support required from the department, either concurrently or for a second year of support, which may consist of a teaching or research assistantship or other support. At the doctoral level, the support is equal to other doctoral programs as described in the above section.
  • Thurgood Marshall Academic Scholarships: This program is designed to assist departments in recruiting and retaining graduate students from underrepresented ethnic minority populations (African American, Native American or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Mexican American). The stipend is $5,000 for one year from the Graduate School with an equal amount of matching support required from the department.

Benefits for All Recipients of Awards

All fellowship/scholarship awards include a waiver of both resident and nonresident educational fees, but not incidental fees (health, computing or student health, or departmental supplemental fees), and eligibility for a graduate student insurance subsidy. For information, please visit the Graduate School website.

Appointments may be supplemented by occasional summer teaching and research assistantships.