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Scholarships and Awards

In addition to scholarships offered by the university and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, we offer program-specific scholarships in English. 

english

Distinguished Alumni Board Scholarship

Amount: $1,500

Criteria:

-Incoming transfer student

-Demonstrated interest in the written word

-Dedication to the study of English

G. Burke Johnston Scholarship

Amount: $1000

Criteria:

-Rising junior

-Values learning, appreciation of English, commitment to community, and concerns for high personal and academic goals

Alfred E. Knobler Scholarships

Amount: $1,000 (3-4 scholarships)

Criteria:

-Love of learning, appreciation of English

-Commitment to community, high personal and academic goals

-Preference to applicants from underrepresented groups

Sharon Messer Memorial Scholarshipmail

Amount: $500

Due:  March 1 (No application required by students)

Criteria:

-Nomination by English faculty

-Graduating senior

-Love of literature

-Person who may have had to overcome sex role stereotyping

-Preference to applicants with interest in the 19th Century novel

Jenkins M. Robertson Society Scholarships

Amount: $1,500 (to be divided according to merit among as many as four designees)

Criteria:

Rising senior

-Academic achievement; 3.5 minimum GPA

-Extracurricular leadership or community service

Joyce Gentry Smoot Scholarship

Amount: $1000

Criteria:

-Rising sophomore

-Merit

Application Open Dates: January 2-March 3, 2021

Submit Online

Contact Person: Patricia Morse

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Charles Modlin Memorial Study Abroad Scholarship

Amount: $500 (2 scholarships)

Criteria:

-Declared English major or minor in good academic standing

-Admission to study abroad program(s) (may be after scholarship application deadline)

-Demonstration of financial need for study abroad

-Willingness to participate in the Department of English study abroad panel and to share photographs from study and travel!

Application Due: November 15 for spring programs, March 15 for fall programs, Applications for summer programs can be submitted before either deadline

To apply, submit a Modlin Scholarship Application.

The Steger Prize for Poetry

This annual poetry competition is open to all undergraduates at Virginia Tech. Poems should be about, or speak to, the future. Only one entry is allowed per person.

The first prize is $1000, second prize is $500, and third prize is $300. There are also Honorable Mentions. Winners will be announced and read their poems at a public event in April. The winning poems will be published on the Steger Award website. The submissions remain the property of the authors.

See the submission cover sheet for more details. 

The Martin Award for Literary Analysis

The Charles Martin Award honors the best critical essay on literature by a graduating senior in Literature & Language. Students graduating in December or May are eligible. Submissions must be analytical papers on literature and at least eight pages in length. The winner will be recognized at the English Department's May commencement ceremony and will receive a cash prize of $250. Those who submit must plan to attend.

See the submission cover sheet for more details. 

Robert Dedman Jr. Award for Professional Writing

This award is made possible by a generous gift from Mr. Robert H. Dedman, President of ClubCorp International, Inc. The prize recognizes outstanding work in professional writing. The winner demonstrates the ability to create effective prose that explains, instructs, or persuades for a specific audience and purpose. The award comes with a cash prize of $245. It is available for English majors and minors enrolled in professional and technical writing courses or internships.

The application deadline is April 6; see the award's call for submissions for more details. 

Armstrong Family Foundation Award for Design

The Armstrong Family Foundation Award for Communication Design recognizes outstanding communication design in professional writing. The award is presented for work that demonstrates the ability to design information for a specific purpose and audience. Submissions are evaluated in terms of the effectiveness of their communication design.

The award comes with a cash prize of $245 and the application deadline is April 6. See the award’s call for submissions for more details. 

Application Open Dates: Year Round

Application Form(s)

The Steger Prize for Poetry

The Martin Award for Literary Analysis

Robert Dedman Jr. Award for Professional Writing

Armstrong Family Foundation Award for Design 

Contact Person: Patricia Morse

We offer a limited number of full-time positions which require 20 hours of work per week, usually fulfilled by teaching two sections of undergraduate first-year writing each semester. The position requires enrollment in 12 hours of graduate credit each semester.

Details about Assistantships for PhD Students:
  • Teaching Assistant in the University Writing Program, Instructor of ENGL 1105 or 1106
  • Teaching Assistant in Technical and Scientific Communication Program  
  • Research Assistant
  • Assistant Editor of the minnesota review
  • Writing Center Tutor
  • Assistant to the Director of the Writing Center
Details about Assistantships for MFA:

We offer fully funded graduate teaching assistantships for full time enrollment in the program. A full-time position constitutes 20 hours of work per week. You do not teach during your first semester but will teach composition in your first two years, and creative writing in your third year. The teaching load is 0-1, 2-2, 2-1.

Details about Assistantships for MA:

We offer fully-funded graduate teaching assistantships for full-time enrollment in the two-year MA program. A full-time position constitutes 20 hours of work per week. To fulfill these hours, MA GTAs work as tutors in the Writing Center and teach 4 sections (total) of ENGL 1106: First-Year Writing during their time in the program. GTAs receive training in the University Writing Program before entering the classroom as instructors in their second semester; they continue to receive mentorship and support during all of their semesters of teaching. In general, MA GTAs teach one section of ENGL 1106 in their second semester, two sections in their third semester, and one section in their final semester.

Duration of Funding

We normally offer 5 years of assistantship for funded PhD students, 2 years for MA students, and 3 years for MFA students. Contracts are for one year, with renewal depending on progress in the degree program and satisfactory performance of assistantship duties. 

Benefits of Assistantships

Assistantships provide these benefits:

  • Stipend
  • Tuition waiver
  • Health insurance program (see the Graduate School benefits page for details)
Applying for Funding

A question on the Graduate School application for graduate admission asks whether you want to be considered for a teaching assistantship. If you check yes, you will respond to additional questions and be added to our list of candidates. All new positions begin in the fall semester.

Please note that you do not need to submit separate applications to be considered for Graduate Assistantships.

Application Open Dates: Same as admissions

For PhD:

Deadline: January 16, 2025

Contact: Carolyn Commer

For MFA:

Deadline: January 21, 2025

Contact: Matthew Vollmer

For MA:

Deadline: January 17, 2025

Contact: Katharine Cleland