All of the students admitted to our graduate program have funding from either internal or external sources. Provided that they continue to make satisfactory progress toward their degree, regularly admitted Ph.D. students normally are assured of continued financial aid through the fifth year of their Ph.D. programs, or the fourth year for those who enter with substantial advanced standing.

Financial aid usually comes in two main forms: associate instructorships or AIs (known elsewhere as teaching assistantships), and external or internal fellowships. In recent years, the department has been able to offer up to two internal fellowships annually to incoming students, using funds provided by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Some College funds have also been available to supplement offers of associate instructorships and internal fellowships to incoming students. Internal fellowships for incoming students normally cover one academic year, with a commitment to continued support (typically as an associate instructor), through the student’s fourth or fifth year.

Internal fellowships and associate instructorship packages come with full fee scholarships, which pay for tuition and fees, as well as both medical and dental health insurance.

Thanks to our generous benefactors, the department awards a number of internal dissertation fellowships on a competitive basis to advanced graduate students.  These include the James B. Nelson Dissertation Year Fellowship, the Myles and Peg Brand Graduate Fellowship in Philosophy, and the James F. Fields and Anthony J. Moss Fellowship.

In addition, thanks to a generous endowment to the department from the late James B. Nelson, all Ph.D. students are awarded a special third-year summer fellowship. Some travel funds are available to graduate students to help defray the costs of attending important national and international conferences in philosophy.