There are multiple funding opportunities available to graduate students in the Department of Political Science, detailed below. Please contact the Graduate Chair, Dr. Ingrid Haas, with questions.
Graduate Teaching Assistant positions
All Ph.D. applicants are considered for GTA positions at the time of application. GTA positions come with a stipend (currently $18,036 for the academic year), tuition remission, and subsidized health insurance. Students have the opportunity to serve as TA for faculty and/or teach their own independent courses. We do not currently have GTA positions available for MA students in the department. International students may be required to complete the Institute for International Teaching Assistants (ITA) at UNL prior to being assigned to a teaching position.
Graduate Research Assistant positions
Some of our students are funded as Graduate Research Assistants, typically by faculty research grants. These opportunities are available on an ad hoc basis depending on faculty funding.
Administrative Graduate Assistant positions
These are assistantships in other offices on campus which are typically advertised in the Graduate Report, and can be viewed on Handshake: https://careers.unl.edu/resources/welcome-to-handshake-at-unl/
Graduate Fellowships
At the time of application, we also consider eligible M.A. and Ph.D. students for available fellowships from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). No additional application is needed. This typically includes Othmer Fellowships (PhD students), CAS Dean's Fellowships (PhD students), and Edgren Tuition Fellowships (MA students). More information on the OGS Fellowships is available at: https://graduate.unl.edu/funding/fellowships
Current graduate students may also be eligible for other Graduate Fellowships from OGS, also detailed here: https://graduate.unl.edu/funding/fellowships. Students must be nominated for these by the faculty, so current students are encouraged to discuss these with their PhD advisor and/or the Graduate Chair.
Conference Travel Funding
The department typically supports some conference travel for graduate students. Students can apply for departmental travel awards through the Graduate Chair. Other travel awards are available from OGS: https://graduate.unl.edu/funding/travel-awards and through the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA): https://www.unl.edu/gsa/graduate-travel-awards-program-gtap
Summer Research Fellowships
The department also supports student research in summer months through Summer Research Fellowships. Applications for these awards are typically accepted in Spring Semester and reviewed by the Graduate Committee. Typical awards are around $2000.
Summer Teaching Opportunities
Ph.D. students who have completed a M.A. degree are eligible to apply for summer teaching opportunities in the department. The Graduate Chair takes applications for these positions during Spring Semester.
For additional information:
UNL Tuition and Fees: https://studentaccounts.unl.edu/tuition-fees
UNL Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid: https://financialaid.unl.edu/
OGS Info on Tuition and Fees: https://graduate.unl.edu/admissions/tuition
OGS Application Fee Waivers: https://graduate.unl.edu/admissions/requirements#appfee