AGDP Fellowship Grant
About
The Accelerated Graduate Degree Program (AGDP) Fellowship in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Western Michigan University was established to provide financial support to graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences enrolled in an AGDP program within the college. These fellowships are intended to encourage students to enroll in CAS AGDP programs and provide a full-time (20 hours per week) graduate teaching assistantship, which includes a stipend as well as tuition support. These are one-year fellowships, encompassing fall and spring semester of a single academic year. These fellowships are not renewable for a second year.
Deadlines for applications
February 15 for fall disbursement
Submission
Only department chairs should email nominations to coas-awards@wmich.edu and copy Ashley Glass (ashley.m.glass@wmich.edu).
Applicant Eligibility
Students must:
- Be nominated for this fellowship either by a faculty member or the chair/director of the department/school in which they are earning their graduate degree.
- Be enrolled in an accelerated degree program in a department/school within the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Have completed all of their undergraduate requirements and be a graduate student by the fall semester in which they would intend to begin their fellowship.
- Be in good academic standing.
- Be enrolled during both fall and spring semesters of their fellowship year.
- Be eligible for a full-time teaching assistantship during the fall and spring semesters of their fellowship year.
- Have enough content expertise to serve as a teaching assistant within the department/school nominating the student for the fellowship.
Guidelines for Nominations
- Nominations must be submitted by the chair/director of the department/school in which the student is enrolled. The act of submitting the nomination will indicate the chair/director’s approval of the nomination.
- A one-page letter of nomination from either a faculty member within or the chair/director of the department/school in which the student will be earning their Master’s degree. This letter should address the following:
- Confirm the student will have graduate student standing by the fall semester of their fellowship.
- Identify the course(s) for which the graduate student will serve as primary or secondary instructor of record.
- Explain the qualifications of the student to serve as primary or secondary instructor of record for this/these course(s).
- A one-page personal statement from the AGDP student that:
- Describes their professional and academic goals and how the Master’s degree will help them achieve their goals.
- States how the fellowship will benefit them in achieving their professional and academic goals.
- Addressed how their education and experiences so far have provided them with the necessary expertise to be a teaching assistant for the specified course(s) to which they would be assigned.
- One-page resume/curriculum vita from the student.
- A copy of the student’s transcript (unofficial is okay).
fund disbursement
- AGDP students with a fellowship will receive a full-time teaching assistant, which will provide bi-weekly pay directly from WMU’s payroll office at the current rate for a full-time graduate assistant, consistent with the TAU contract.
- AGDP students with a fellowship will also receive tuition support for up to the specified number of credits currently provided for teaching assistants, consistent with the TAU contract. Tuition support is paid directly to the student’s account by WMU.
- Please refer to this website for more information about graduate assistantships: https://wmich.edu/grad/fellowships-grants/assistantships
Students should consult directly with WMU’s Financial Aid Office for questions regarding how this fellowship might affect other aid they are receiving.