The MATX program offers graduate teaching assistantships to all full-time incoming and most full-time continuing students through degree candidacy. All applicants for full-time doctoral study are considered for merit-based graduate assistantships. No separate assistantship application is required.

Awards cover tuition but not fees and carry stipends of $20,000 for 9 months.

Assistantships require 20 hours of work per week. Assistantship duties usually involve instructional or research assignments in arts and humanities departments or assisting with the editorial work of Blackbird, the English Department’s online journal of literature and art. In the summer, students on 12-month assistantships register for three credits of dissertation-related independent study, with no work requirement.

Assignments are made by the MATX director in consultation with department chairs. Whenever possible, students are placed in departments and assigned duties relevant to their past experience and current academic or professional goals.