Graduate Student Funding

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Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available to qualified students and are awarded on a competitive basis. Stipends are approximately $12,000, and graduate assistants may also receive a partial or full waiver of tuition. Graduate assistantships range from research and teaching assistance for individual faculty members, to positions at the Kentucky Museum, the Kentucky Folklife Program, and with special grant-funded projects. 

In order to apply for a graduate assistantship (GA), you must complete a graduate assistantship application form and submit it to the Folk Studies program director along with your application materials. 

We usually begin to make offers in early March for the following fall, so we encourage you to apply by February 1. If it's later than that, or if you are applying to begin in the spring, please contact the Folk Studies program director about the possibility of funding.

Special Funding Opportunities:
Applicants to the WKU Folk Studies MA program for upcoming semesters who are legal residents of an Appalachian Regional Commission county in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia may apply for an In These Mountains Graduate Student Fellowship with funding provided by South Arts. Contact the Folk Studies program director for more information.

Information about additional funding opportunities can be found on the Graduate School Funding Resources webpage and the office of Student Financial Assistance.

 

Research and Travel Funding

We make every effort to support student travel to conferences, especially the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society. The Graduate School also has funding available for conducting and presenting research. Visit their website for information and application deadlines for research and travel grants. You should talk with the Folk Studies program director about the application process far in advance of applying.