AHMA students are funded through a combination of fellowships, teaching opportunities, and research appointments. Most students receive three to four years of fellowships and two to three years of teaching appointments. There are also plentiful funding opportunities for research travel. In addition to Berkeley funding, AHMA students have been regularly successful in securing prestigious extramural fellowships (e.g. Rome Prize, Fellowships at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Fulbright) to support some portion of their doctoral work.
Fellowships for Incoming Students
Details of funding packages for incoming students are given at the time of acceptance. Sources for the fellowship portions of these packages vary, with some coming from the university and some from AHMA's own funds.
Funding for Continuing Students
Funding for continuing students is awarded annually, following a faculty review of each student's progress and plans for the next year. The nature of the funding awarded (fellowship or GSI appointment) will depend upon the student's stage in the program, the rate of their progress, and history of received fellowship support. Every attempt is made to ensure that all students receive equal amounts of fellowship support and teaching opportunities.
Graduate Division Continuing Student Fellowships
AHMA doctoral students who are advanced to candidacy by the end of their tenth semester may be eligible for a Graduate Division Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship (DCF). Graduate Division determines eligibility for this fellowship and will notify students as to their success or otherwise in obtaining it once the Graduate Services Degrees Unit has processed their Advancement to Candidacy form. The DCF may be used during any semester in candidacy before the end of the mandated Normative Time (fourteen semesters for AHMA students). You must fill out a “DCF Activation Form” to elect in which semesters you wish to take the DCF. The DCF may be supplemented by a single semester GSI-ship, AI-GS, GSR, Reader, or Tutor position, for no more than 25% time.Graduate Student Instructorships
Since teaching is an important part of graduate training, each student in the AHMA program will normally serve several times as an instructor. This opportunity constitutes one portion of each student's total funding package. AHMA students are eligible to compete for Graduate Student Instructorships (GSI-ships) in the departments of Classics, History, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, History of Art, and Anthropology, depending upon their particular qualifications, and for the Western Civilization classes under Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies (UGIS). You should apply directly to the department or program in question to compete for appointments. GSI-ships are rarely awarded in the first year of graduate study, when fellowship funds normally support incoming students.Students should be aware that they must clear from their record any Incomplete grades that are more than a year old before they may begin to teach as a GSI. Moreover, per Graduate Council policy, GSIs may not have more than two Incompletes at the time teaching begins. All first-time GSIs are required to attend an orientation, a pedagogy workshop, and complete an on-line ethics course sponsored by the University. In addition, first-time international GSIs whose native language is other than English must pass an exam to demonstrate English language proficiency. (See the SAO for more information on English workshops and proficiency exams.) GSI teaching levels include a monthly salary plus a fee remission covering 100% of education and registration fees as well as Student Health Insurance premiums.Other Funding
Student funding may also take the form of other academic appointments such as Graduate Student Researcher appointments (GSR-ships; collaboration in the work of a particular faculty member) or Readerships (grading papers and exams in a particular course). Appointment as a Graduate Student Researcher or a Reader depends upon the recommendation of individual faculty members and available funding. The Center for the Tebtunis Papyri and the Aleshire Center for the Study of Greek Epigraphy typically appoint a GSR every semester; other opportunities are available on an ad hoc basis. All appointments are subject to the Graduate Division's Appointments Policy.Funding for Research-related Travel
The following internal sources support research-related travel for AHMA and other Berkeley students:
Aleshire Travel Grants fund travel related to the study of Greek epigraphy. Applications for travel grants are accepted on a rolling basis and should be sent to the Director of the Aleshire Center. The Aleshire Center also funds a Dissertation fellowship, for students in the final year of writing a dissertation on a topic related to Greek epigraphy, and a Fellowship to be used in residence at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens to pursue dissertation research on an epigraphic topic. Applications for these two fellowships are normally due on or around February 1. Prospective applicants should consult with the Director of the Center.
The Center for the Tebtunis Papyri has funds to support graduate student travel related to the study of papyrology, including travel to conferences, excavations, and collections of papyri. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but should be submitted no less than six weeks before the planned departure date. Applications and queries should be sent to the Director of the CTP.
AHMA itself annually awards a number of smaller travel grants to enable students to acquire first-hand knowledge of sites and museums, normally during the summer break (this assumes normal progress on language requirements). You have the option of using this grant for intensive language study rather than travel.
The Classics Department of UC Berkeley annually awards a number of small travel grants from the Heller Fund to help cover the costs of overseas travel "to pursue an academically justified and practical program of self-enrichment and education either through the travel itself, or through a study project, or both." AHMA students are eligible for these awards and have been generously supported. The call for applications is distributed to students in late March.
Federal Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office (FAO) offers a financial aid package combining grants, loans, and work-study employment to graduate students with demonstrated financial need. The office attempts to fill the financial gap that exists between educational costs and money available to the student from family, job, income, savings, and other resources. To be eligible for federally funded programs, applicants must be U.S. citizens or on immigrant visas. It is the assumption of the FAO that students will be responsible for all completing the required documents by the specified deadline dates and for informing FAO of any changes to their financial status. Failure to do so will jeopardize financial aid eligibility. The total amount of financial aid that a student may receive is limited, and takes into account other sources of support, such as fellowships and other awards.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To qualify for any type of fellowship support or aid, you must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), regardless of financial status. These forms and other current information on student aid are available from the Financial Aid Office.
