Financial Awards

Graduate Assistantships

All admitted students will be automatically considered for a graduate assistantship (GA) in the Department of Anthropology. Awards are competitive, based on faculty evaluation of the academic abilities and professional promise of applicants, and the teaching needs of the department. Departmental graduate assistantships carry a stipend and tuition waiver, and partially cover health insurance fees. Applicants can inquire about current stipend levels by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies. Duties for GAs will vary depending upon the position but may include preparing and teaching courses, assisting faculty by developing classroom activities, grading, and holding review sessions. Students may be awarded funding for up to two years for MA students and up to four years for PhD students, although yearly renewal depends on department needs and the student's academic standing. Funding extensions after the initial two or four years will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Funding via the Graduate School

In addition to departmental funding, students may be eligible for other sources of funding via the Graduate School. The most common of these additional awards, often offered in conjunction with departmental funding, are the Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships (DDF) and the Doctoral Academy Fellowships (DAF). These funding sources are available only to PhD students; GRE scores are required to be supplied during the initial application process to be considered for these awards.

Arkansas Graduate Fellowship in Anthropology

This award is made once a year to a full-time graduate student in anthropology. The fellowship supports research, academic work, and is renewable. The award is renewable for one year.

Arkansas Archeological Survey Assistantship

The Arkansas Archeological Survey selects a student to receive “The Davis Internship Award in Public Archaeology” to augment his/her research assistantship. This individual, known as the Davis Scholar, will receive partial funding for approved internships with public archaeology agencies following his/her first and second years of graduate study. The Davis Award was made possible by a special endowment named for Professor of Anthropology Emeritus and State Archaeologist Emeritus Hester A. Davis. A second year of funding is based on satisfactory academic performance.

Octa Norma High Anthropology Scholarship

This is a full tuition scholarship for worthy anthropology graduate students. It is awarded on a semester by semester basis.

Other sources of financial support 

Other sources of financial support for anthropology graduate students may include funding from the following :

  • Arkansas Archeological Survey
  • King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies
  • Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST)
  • Other departments (e.g., Biological Sciences, Chemistry, etc.)
  • Hourly or Work-Study employment within the department

More information about possible funding sources can be found through the Graduate School.

Students interested in other forms of financial assistance should contact the Office of Financial Aid.