Funding
We prioritize funding for our doctoral students during the first 4 years of study, but these depend on School funding and availability. Funding may consist out of fellowships, scholarships and/or student employment. All doctoral students are automatically considered for all these funding opportunities. No additional application is required.
Fellowships
The Graduate School at The University of Texas at Austin provides a number of fellowships and editorial assistantships in addition to coordinating many externally funded fellowships and awarding college and departmental fellowships based on nominations from departments.
Scholarships
The School of Journalism and Media and The Moody College of Communication offer several scholarships opportunities that may be of interest to graduate students
Jonathan Tjarks Graduate Fellowship
The Jonathan Tjarks Graduate Fellowship is designed to hone the storytelling skills of a promising journalist who has graduated from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) by earning a Master of Arts degree. Created by the Simmons Family Scholarship, the fellowship honors the memory of Jonathan Tjarks, The Ringer sportswriter and UT alum who died of cancer in September 2022. Jonathan had written for The Ringer, an online hub for sportswriting and podcasting, since 2016.
Student Employment
Graduate students, whether in an academic or non-academic position, should be aware of conditions for student employment, from registration requirements to rules on allowable work hours.
- Making satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree without existing conditional admission requirements
- Remaining registered for at least nine semester hours of coursework in long semesters (enrollment in three semester hours of coursework is required for students holding summer appointments)
- Maintaining at least a 3.0 grade-point average
- Not having more than two grades of X, I, NC, D, or F in any combination
Students employed as teaching assistants (TAs), assistant instructors (AIs), and graduate research assistants (GRAs) are eligible for a tax-exempt Tuition Reduction Benefit related to their student academic employment.
In addition to compensation, graduate student employees may be entitled to receive insurance and other benefits. Consult the UT Human Resources website for information on benefits eligibility for different types of student employment.
Learn more about academic employment
Teaching Assistant (TA)
The School of Journalism and Media employs a number of currently enrolled students as teaching assistants to assist faculty members in teaching undergraduate courses.
Doctoral students will be given first consideration for Teaching Assistant (TA) positions providing they have the skills necessary for the course and/or have had previous teaching experience. MA students may also be considered for a TA position depending upon the student's skills and experience and whether or not there are positions available in the school.
Being employed as a Teaching Assistant one semester does not guarantee employment in future semesters. We have fewer courses and fewer courses that require TAs, in some semesters than in others. To be considered for a TA position, student will fill out a TA survey that is distributed each semester by the Graduate program coordinator.
Please note: The one-year Masters Pro track degree does not allow time to hold a student employment position.
Assistant Instructor (AI)
Doctoral students who have completed their coursework, have worked as a TA for at least one semester, have completed the J398T - Teaching Methods course, or have at least one year of experience teaching at an accredited institution (A letter of verification from the former employer must be submitted to the Graduate School.), and are enrolled in dissertation may be advanced to assistant instructor. These positions are few and based on instructional needs only.
Graduate Research Assistant (GRA)
Faculty members with individual funding may look for and hire (Graduate) Research Assistants. When those opportunities become available they will be shared with the JAMgrad students. Generally, we do not offer RA/GRA positions to incoming students.
More Student Employment Resources
We encourage Master's students to seek employment opportunities in other units across campus. Like Journalism and Media, most units would prioritize their own graduate students and recruit outside graduate student, when necessary and possible. Graduate students would apply directly through the respective hiring unit.
Students looking for academic employment should subscribe to the Graduate Student Campus Jobs Listserv.