Financial Aid Opportunities

I. Federal Loan Assistance

Apply for Federal Financial Aid

Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) here. Find out more about loans, grants, scholarships, study abroad, tuition waivers, assistantships, and fellowships.

II. UWM Graduate School Financial Aid

Graduate School Fellowships, Awards, and Non-Resident Tuition Remissions 

Fellowships 

The UWM Graduate School offers a number of competitive fellowships, including the Distinguished Graduate School Fellowship (DGSF) and Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP) Fellowships, which are open to graduate students in Art History. Nominations for these fellowships are made by the faculty. Applicants to the program are invited to request that the faculty consider their nomination for a DGSF or AOP Fellowship as part of the application process but may be required to submit additional letters of recommendation for this purpose. The faculty’s nomination decisions are made in January. Questions about these opportunities should be directed to Kay Wells, Director of Graduate Studies (wellsk@uwm.edul).  

Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship 

Eighteen academic-year Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowships (DGSFs) are awarded annually to exceptional UWM graduate students. Awards are for full-time study only. In addition, fellows benefit from full coverage of resident instructional fees at the basic graduate level, a remission of the out-of-state portion of the tuition (if applicable), low-cost comprehensive health insurance and other benefits. 

Advanced Opportunity Program Fellowship 

The Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP) is funded by the State of Wisconsin. AOP Fellowships are designed to assist members of groups under-represented in graduate study, and other disadvantaged students, to enter and complete a graduate degree at UWM. Awards are granted to newly admitted or currently enrolled UWM graduate students. 

AOP Fellowships are awarded annually to qualified graduate students. Awards are for full-time study only. In addition, Fellowship recipients benefit from full coverage of resident tuition, a remission of the out-of-state portion of the tuition (if applicable), low-cost comprehensive health insurance and other benefits. Awardees retain full responsibility for mandatory fees and additional instructional/course fees (including distance education) above basic graduate tuition levels. 

Awards  

Chancellor’s Awards 

The Chancellor’s Graduate Student Award (CGSA) program is designed to give UWM a competitive edge in attracting and retaining high quality, talented graduate students. Specifically, the goals of the program are to attract talented, high quality graduate students, grow our graduate programs, increase the research productivity of our faculty, and improve the research productivity and success of our graduate students. 

The Chancellor’s Award is offered annually to the most promising incoming and current students. All accepted or enrolled graduate students are automatically considered for the Award so there is no need to apply. 

Travel Awards 

The Graduate School Travel Support program offers partial funding to UWM master’s and doctoral students for presenting scholarly and creative works at conferences, performances, or exhibitions. Such activities are an important part of the professional development of graduate students, offering opportunities to establish professional networks, contacts for collaborative research, and sources of potential future employment. Funded amounts vary depending on distance, receipt of prior support through this program, and other current support. Funding is provided as reimbursement of expenses after the travel has been completed. 

Non-resident Tuition Remissions (NRTR) 

The College of Letters and Sciences offers some non-resident tuition remissions (NRTR) to both MA and PhD students residing outside Wisconsin. These remissions are limited to two years of support. Contact Kay Wells, Director of Graduate Studies (wellsk@uwm.edul) for more information.  

 III. Department of Art History Financial Aid

Teaching Assistantships

The Department of Art History currently has six teaching assistant positions in the fields of Art History and Art Museum Studies. Qualified current and incoming students are eligible to apply for graduate teaching assistantships. The appointment includes tuition remission and a small monthly stipend. Students are expected to take six credits while teaching part time (approximately 13-15 hours per week). The recommended deadline for those applicants who wish to be considered for a Teaching Assistantship is December 15. For incoming students, preference will be given to those with high GPAs, strong writing samples, and outstanding letters of recommendation. For students already in the program, letters of recommendations by department faculty members will be given greatest weight.

Teaching Assistant Assignments

Teaching Assistant assignments are determined on a semesterly basis by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the department’s Curriculum and Instruction Committee. Generally, TAs support the department’s in-person and online survey courses.

The Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery and UWM Art Collection Teaching Assistant

The Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery and UWM Art Collection Teaching Assistantship is awarded to one of the department’s six teaching assistants and served for two semesters. This TA supports teaching activities that utilize objects, spaces, images, and other materials from the UWM Art Collection and Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery. The weekly hourly workload is about 17 hours of work. This teaching assistant works directly with the Academic Curator and Director as well as gallery attendants, interns, and students. This position may be filled by an incoming or continuing student.

Teaching Assistant Good Academic Standing and Job Performance Policy

Department of Art History Teaching Assistantships are renewable on a semesterly basis for up to four terms. Renewal is contingent upon academic standing, as well as job performance as reflected by written evaluations from supervising instructors.

Teaching Assistants must maintain at least a 3.33 average and have no incomplete grades to be eligible for renewal. Any incomplete grades at the end of the spring semester must be cleared before July to maintain eligibility. This means that all incomplete work must be submitted to the instructor at least one week before the July deadline so that there is adequate time for the instructor to grade the work and process the necessary forms. It is the student’s responsibility to make these arrangements with the instructor in advance and to inform the Director of Graduate Studies that the incomplete has been cleared.

Teaching Assistants are expected to meet all grading assignment deadlines as specified by instructors and to oversee all assigned discussion sections or online forums. If a TA is unable to fulfill duties for any reason it is imperative that the instructor be informed immediately. Failure to meet grading and teaching requirements may result in removal before the end of an academic year. Written evaluations, which will include a recommendation for renewal or nonrenewal, are completed by supervising instructors at the end of each term.

The Jeffrey R. Hayes Graduate Research Award

The Jeffrey R. Hayes Graduate Research award, established through the generosity of the late Professor Jeffrey Hayes, is intended to promote graduate research and travel related to the MA thesis or the MA exhibition thesis. Support may include travel expenses, research grants, conference fees, fellowships, or thesis exhibition expenses. Grants may also be awarded for travel to professional conferences for the purposes of presenting research related to the thesis. Grants of up to $2,000 are available. Deadlines for applications are in November and March.

Lawrence R. Hoey Memorial Prize

The Lawrence R. Hoey Memorial Prize is an annual prize awarded to the best essay written by a graduate student in art history. The Hoey Prize was established in 2000–2001 in honor of Professor Lawrence E. Hoey who taught in the Department of Art History from 1981 to 2000. The chosen winner is invited to present the paper to the Department faculty, students and the Friends of Art History during the Spring of the following academic year, receives a nominal monetary amount, and has their name engraved on a plaque in the main office.