Graduate Funding and Awards
Funding for Drama's graduate students come from a variety of sources:
Graduate Teaching & Research Assistantships
A number of full time and part time Graduate Assistantships (GA) are available to Drama graduate students. Some of these assistantships focus on teaching (GTA) and some on research (GRA).
Candidates accepted into our graduate Drama programs will automatically be considered for a full or part time Graduate Assistantship. Normally successful applicants to a Drama program are offered a partial GA for up to two terms per year in their first and second years of study. These are paid positions and support students financially, while giving them opportunities to develop teaching and research skills. The average of these has been between $3,000 and $15,000 per student per year.
University Awards
Drama graduate students are encouraged to apply for and are assisted in nominations for general awards, including the SSHRC Awards, FGSR Travel Awards, and others. Our drama graduate students are very successful in these competitive applications.
Drama graduate students were also successful in the application of several requests for Research Travel Funding.
MFA/Des Scholarship 4 x $15,000/year
Two MFA students/year receive this renewable, $15,000/year award, so at any given time, normally 4 MFA Drama students are funded in this way. These awards were established some years ago, recognizing the terminal nature and intensity of this degree, and the significant artistic qualifications required of successful applicants to these quota programs. Teaching is required.
Harriet Snowball Winspear Graduate Fellowship in the Performing Arts $7,000
This award is based on academic excellence goes to two full-time first-year students in graduate degree programs in the performing arts, (one in Music and one in Drama), who are receiving another award or graduate assistantship.
Travel Grants
A number of graduate travel grants are available:
- Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research Travel Awards
- Graduate Students' Association Academic Travel Grants
Bleviss/Motkovich Family Graduate Award in Drama, variable amount, minimum of $3000
The basis of this award is excellent creative and/or research accomplishments.
Graduate Student Support Fund
This grant normally goes to the MFA director and designer whose thesis show is held in the fall after the two year residency is complete. The Graduate Student Support Fund is an endowment created by a Seat Sale fund raising project of the department.
William Rea Scholarship, $11,500
This scholarship is awarded annually to a student in a graduate program at the University of Alberta who shows the best aptitude in terms of scholarship and extracurricular activity for a career in drama, music or writing.
Drama Student Emergency Bursary Fund, variable amount
This fund assists full time students from any Drama program, when all other sources of funds are exhausted and students require short one-time funding to tide them through the end of term. Since its inception, students from every Drama program have been assisted by this endowment. Funds are raised through private donations and from student activities that 'collect at the door'. While the fund is still small, and needs to grow, annually other sources augment this fund's income to assist students as required.