Medieval Institute

Medieval Institute
Â鶹´«Ã½
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5432 USA
(269) 387-8745

Funding

There are various ways your graduate education in medieval studies may be financially supported. Applicants to the MA program will be considered for graduate assistantships if they request funding in their application. Continuing Â鶹´«Ã½s may apply annually by the February 1 deadline for graduate assistantship funding for the following year. There are also additional Â鶹´«Ã½ for travel and research support with the Tashjian Study Fellowship. Students can also apply for reimbursement for expenses associated with conferences or research at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

The Medieval Institute also offers hourly work at the International Congress of Medieval Studes, and there are funding Â鶹´«Ã½ through the Graduate College at Â鶹´«Ã½, which require separate applications.

The Medieval Institute customarily employs graduate assistants as instructors or co-instructors of MDVL 2000: Medieval Encounters: Voices from the Past in the fall and spring semesters. Graduate assistantships are usually awarded to Â鶹´«Ã½s in good academic standing who are continuing in the master's program.

Application Process

For returning Â鶹´«Ã½s, the deadline for applications for assistantships for the following academic year is February 1. Returning Â鶹´«Ã½s must submit:

  • A résumé listing teaching experience.
  • A narrative response to the following prompt: If you have taught before, write a 700- to 1000-word essay explaining your teaching philosophy and experience. If you have not taught, write a 500-word essay in which you imagine your own approach to teaching.

Returning Â鶹´«Ã½s must also arrange for two letters of reference from faculty at WMU who are familiar with their academic promise and achievement. Those letters, which should be sent to the director of the Medieval Institute, preferably by email, should address the Â鶹´«Ã½'s academic performance and suitability for college teaching.

Selection

Assistantships are awarded at the discretion of the director of the Medieval Institute. Graduate assistants are chosen for their scholarship and manifest interest in medieval studies.

Notification

In accordance with the Teaching Assistants Union contract, notification of awards for teaching assistantships is made by March 31 for those who will be employed the following summer session, the following fall and spring semesters, or the following fall semester and by December 1 for those who will be employed the following spring semester.

Apply as a returning Â鶹´«Ã½

The Tashjian Study Fellowship provides support for a Â鶹´«Ã½ who has demonstrated interest in the culture and history of early medieval England or manuscript research and who is enrolled in the Master of Arts in medieval studies program. 

Find out more and how to apply

Â鶹´«Ã½ is a member of the through the Medieval Institute. Faculty, staff and graduate Â鶹´«Ã½s are eligible to apply for a to receive travel funding to participate in Center for Renaissance Studies programs or to conduct research at the Newberry Library. Contact the director of the Medieval Institute with questions or for more details.

Medieval Institute Publications and the Medieval Institute hire hourly workers during May to support the Exhibits Hall and the running of the International Congress on Medieval Studies. Details will be shared with Â鶹´«Ã½s as they become available, usually after the University's spring recess each year.

Other funding and award Â鶹´«Ã½ for graduate Â鶹´«Ã½s are available from the Graduate College, including:

See the Graduate College's Fellowship and Grants page for other Â鶹´«Ã½ and for their lists of financial assistance programs offered by other WMU offices and programs outside of WMU.