Funding

Important sources of graduate funding for both MA and PhD students include The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Harmonized Scholarship Process, a streamlined Dalhousie University scholarship application process.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports postsecondary-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. The English Department can provide further information about SSHRC, and all eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents are urged to apply. (Note that SSHRC applications are due in the Fall Term preceding the year graduate work will begin.)

Harmonized Scholarship Process (HSP)website outlines the annual deadlines for Masters and Doctoral students (Fall and Winter of the preceding year of studies). Once you apply, you are considered for each of the following awards you are eligible for Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship, Killam Predoctoral Scholarships, Eliza Ritchie Doctoral Entrance Scholarship for Women, James Robinson Johnston Graduate Entrance Scholarship for African Canadians, African Nova Scotian Graduate Scholarship, Indigenous Graduate Scholarship,  Vitamin Scholarship and the Abdul Majid Bader Graduate Scholarship. The results of the HSP are announced late Spring of he preceding academic year.

The A.S. Mowat Prize is also available for outstanding MA students at Dalhousie, and a number of other awards and scholarships are awarded to incoming and continuing students by the Department. New applicants and continuing students should also be aware of and apply for other sources of financial aid.  

Many of our graduate students are offered the opportunity to work as Teaching Assistants, most often for first-year courses. Though TAs may take on a variety of tasks, most lead tutorials, grade and comment on student essays, hold individual meetings with students, and sometimes lecture or lead class discussion. Experienced PhD students may be invited to serve as TAs for upper-level courses.

Financial support for conferences is available through the Faculty of Graduate Studies.  FGS conference travel support is available to MA and PhD students presenting a paper at an appropriate academic venue. Applications must be submitted at least one month in advance of the conference, and must be accompanied by proof of acceptance.

Depending on availability, the Department of English also provides PhD students with some funding for thesis-related travel (including conferences) during years 2-5 of their programs. The Departmental award is administered by the Graduate Committee and is intended to supplement the FGS amount for which prospective recipients are required to have first applied. Application forms are available at the Department office.

Application Deadlines