Graduate Student Funding
General Information
School of Education students support their enrollment through a variety of means. The type of financial aid you are eligible for will vary depending on the degree you are pursuing, and your background, merit, and financial situation.
The Graduate School has a wealth of resources to introduce you to the process, connect you to funding sources, and connect you to their in-house funding opportunities.
grad_funding Listserv
The Graduate School manages a graduate student funding listserv that routinely sends funding opportunities to members.
For School of Education students
See School of Education Graduate Financial Aid and Funding for information specific to our graduate students.
Financial Aid information is also listed within each program page and, for enrolled students, routinely advertised through student listservs.
On-Campus Hiring
A number of campus offices and centers hire School of Education students. These positions are often only advertised when there is an opening or during a designated hiring period (typically Feb/Mar or over the summer for the following academic year). We recommend you contact these offices for more information. Specific positions have been indicated where appropriate.
Here are some places that our students have been able to secure jobs or funding:
- Accessibility Resources and Service
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities
- Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
- The Writing Center
- The Learning Center
Student Funding Search
Answer the questions below to filter the list to your needs. If you have any additions to this list or need further information, please contact the Office of Student Affairs.
IDST125-001 Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Opportunity
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a practical framework of expertise development and self-regulation to pursue mastery in their personal passions. Through collaborative discussions and interdisciplinary instructor perspectives and course material, students will gain an understanding of the things that are most important to them, what it takes to become extraordinary in these areas while maintaining their psychological well-being, and a personalized plan to maximize their potential. Topics covered include psychology of motivation and positive functioning, deliberate practice, accountability, competitiveness, leadership, resilience, happiness, flow, and performance measurement.
The TA appointment provides a stipend of $9,000 for the semester, subject to state and federal income taxes. In addition to the stipend, TAs are eligible for an in-state tuition award and coverage of fees. Also, TAs are eligible to enroll in the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP). This appointment does not guarantee an out-of-state tuition award – these are awarded at the discretion of TA’s home department.
Job responsibilities (up to 20 hours per week)
• Attend training sessions specified by the course and/or instructors.
• Attend course planning sessions, as determined by lecture instructors.
• Communicate with instructors and/or the other TAs in a timely manner about any issues or concerns that arise.
• Attend all lecturers and assist with in-class activities.
• Proctor exams and photocopy class materials as needed.
• Grade exams, quizzes, papers, in-class activities, and other assignments and make them available to students within a reasonable time period.
• Maintain grades and records for all your students and make them available to the lecture instructors as needed.
• Hold office hours for students, as needed.
• Respond to student questions in a timely manner, through email and/or other classroom technology platforms (e.g., Canvas).
• Register online and complete FERPA training, if not previously completed.
• Remain in good academic standing (see the Graduate School Handbook for eligibility requirements).
Applications are due by 9am on Monday, June 26, 2023. Applications should include a cover letter (2-page maximum) outlining the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position as well as a current curriculum vitae and contact information for two references. Questions and applications should be emailed to eweight@unc.edu.
Teaching Positions for EDUC 150, Fall 2023
The biology and chemistry departments are jointly seeking graduate student teaching assistants (TAs) to teach EDUC 150: The Science of Learning Intensive, a 1-credit hour course, for Fall 2023. All sections are fully in-person. The graduate student ideally will teach two sections of EDUC 150 on Wednesday afternoons. Each section of the course meets weekly for 50 min and the course description is below. The class would be mostly composed of undergraduate students who are co-enrolled as learning assistants (LAs) in the biology, chemistry or physics department. TA responsibilities include leading weekly discussion of the assigned topic in person, a weekly office hour, grading weekly assignments and semester projects, and reviewing materials from the previous semester/instructor to build upon and improve the course.
Class description
Students study several facets of learning in the modern world, and investigate what scholarship in cognitive psychology, educational psychology, and the learning sciences can do to help us maximize our own learning and support the learning of others. Because the focus is on both research and practice, the course is designed to be collaborative and practice-based.
Please note that this TA position includes a salary and some money towards benefits but alone is not a fully funded position (no tuition remission). If you are interested please email julianne.hall@unc.edu and include a reference letter, a CV or resume, a cover letter that highlights why you are interested in the position and any relevant experience, if applicable.
Deadline: July 28, 2023
The Betty Lou Whitford Scholarship
Betty Louise “Betty Lou” Whitford (A.B.Ed. ’72, M.A.T. ’76, Ph.D. ’81) established this fund to provide support for graduate students in the School of Education. Betty Lou is Dean and the Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor of Auburn University’s College of Education.
About the award
Carol and William Malloy Travel Award
About the award
This award was established by Drs. Carol and William Malloy, longtime professors in the School of Education. Awards are made to assist graduate students with travel expenses incurred while sharing their research at education conferences. William Malloy had a 44-year career in education. He taught and mentored graduate students in educational administration and leadership for 15 years.
The late Carol Malloy received her Ph.D. from the School of Education in 1995. She joined the faculty and taught curriculum and foundations courses for graduate students, secondary mathematics methods courses in the M.A.T. program, and mathematics for middle and elementary pre-service students until her retirement in 2009.
The Charles S. Templeton Scholarship
About the award
This Scholarship was established by the late Charles S. Templeton (A.B.Ed. ’34) in memory of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Templeton. Templeton came to Carolina in 1930 from China Grove in Rowan County. After graduating, he taught in Chapel Hill and Durham and earned an M.S.A. at Columbia University. During World War II he was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Force. After the war his new career as a hospital administrator took him to Florida and Georgia. Along the way his life was full of friends, music, books, Carolina sports, and his large extended family back in North Carolina.
Dixie Lee Spiegel Fund
Eligibility
This fund is used to respond to crisis situations only. Students should connect with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs if they believe they have a situation that might warrant an award.
About the award
This fund, created to honor the contributions of Dr. Spiegel, is available for graduate students who have emergency financial need.
During her 28-year career, Dixie Spiegel was a professor of literacy studies and served in significant administrative posts, including director of accreditation, director of graduate studies, director of admissions, associate dean for students and senior associate dean. At the University level, Spiegel provided leadership as chair of the Student Health Committee, chair of the Minorities and Disadvantaged Committee, chair of the Disability Subcommittee of Undergraduate Admissions, member of the Graduate School Advisory Board and initiator of a course for learning disabled students on campus.
The James Yadkin Joyner Fellowship in Education Policy
By Nomination
Eligibility
Students must be admitted to the Ph.D. program in Policy, Leadership and School Improvement (PLS) and committed to the study of education policy and research.
How to be considered: Students are nominated by a member of the PLS faculty.
About the award
Established in 2003 by Musette Sprunt Morgan (A.B.Ed. ’76) and Allen Benners Morgan (B.A. ’65), this fellowship honors the legacy of Musette Morgan’s great-grandfather, James Yadkin Joyner, who served as North Carolina’s State Superintendent of Public Education from 1902-1917 and brought sweeping reform and improvement to the state’s system of public education.
Galassi-Brown Award
By Nomination
Eligibility
Students in the School Counseling program.
How to be considered: Recipients are nominated by peers, faculty and public school personnel.
About the award
This award was named for Drs. John P. Galassi and Duane Brown, both full professors in the School of Education who contributed more than 60 years of combined service. Since 1973, both Dr. Galassi and Dr. Brown have led through their research and scholarship. Most importantly, they devoted time and attention to the students of the counseling program and have been stalwart advocates for the profession.
The Galassi-Brown Advocacy Award recognizes the school counseling student who is judged by the faculty to have gone beyond expectations and demonstrated exceptional advocacy for the students they serve, the schools where they work and the school counseling profession.
The George W. Noblit Graduate Scholarship
Eligibility
This scholarship provides awards to doctoral students in the Culture, Curriculum, and Teacher Education program who are pursuing research with a focus on racial equity and/or social justice.
About the award
This fund was established to honor Dr. George Noblit in recognition of his distinguished 39-year career at the School of Education by his wife, Mary A. Longhill and the many students impacted by his teaching and mentorship.
This scholarship endeavors to increase the diversity of the student body and further the interest of traditionally underrepresented groups in graduate education.
Graduate Assistantship for Research in the Teaching and Learning of Reading and Writing
Eligibility
Doctoral student working with a faculty member on a research project that involves the teaching and learning of reading and/or writing.
How to be considered: Faculty working in this area will specify the project on which they are working and outline the need for graduate student assistance.
About the award
This award was established by Anne and Wilson M. Brown III. Anne received her A.B.Ed. in Early Childhood Education in 1974 and Wilson received his A.B. in English the same year.
Guy B. Phillips Fellowship
Eligibility
Students pursuing graduate studies in public school administration.
About the award
This fellowship was established in honor of the late Guy B. Phillips. Dr. Phillips received his B.A. from Carolina in 1913. From 1937 to 1958, he was director of the summer session and dean of the School of Education from 1948 to 1954.
The Guy B. Phillips Scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit and leadership as well as the potential for contributions to public education in North Carolina.
Ira and Esther Gordon Scholarship
Eligibility
Incoming doctoral student who has high academic potential and a strong interest in one or more of the following areas: parents, parent education, at-risk children, family literacy, or child development.
About the award
This scholarship was established by Esther Gordon to honor the work of her late husband, Dr. Ira J. Gordon, former School of Education dean and a Kenan professor. Dr. Gordon was a nationally renowned expert in early childhood and parent education and development.
Linnea W. Smith Innovations Fund
Eligibility
Faculty members or doctoral students whose scholarly work leads to the identification, intervention, and/or prevention of early-life traumatic stress that impacts the development of children in the classroom and strategies that strengthen the partnership between educators and families.
About the award
Established by John (B.A. ’58) and Mary Louise Burress (A.B.Ed. ’58), this fund honors Dr. Linnea Weblemoe Smith (M.D. ’76), a psychiatrist and advocate for exploited women and children. This fund shall be used to support the research seeking solutions for children whose development and education have been hindered as a result of adverse childhood experiences.
Emphasis is on the role of the educational system in increasing the resilience of victimized children and reducing the risk factors for behavioral, academic, and social problems.
Marvin Wyne Memorial Scholarship
Eligibility
Preference is given to doctoral students preparing for work in special education, with a focus in developmental or learning disabilities, who have a strong interest in both teaching and research.
About the award
Named for the late Marvin Wyne, who was a professor of special education at the School of Education for 20 years, this fellowship is awarded annually to a student interested in working with children with special needs.
The Moise A. Khayrallah Innovation Fund
Eligibility
Students who have expressed an interest in developing or building educational products or services.
About the award
This fund was established by Moise A. Khayrallah (Ph.D. ’93) to support students and to support the Master of Arts in Educational Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (MEITE) program. Uses of the fund include, but are not limited to, the sponsorship of an annual “edtech innovation pitch event” in partnership with Innovate Carolina as well as the funding of one or more fellows to be known as Moise A. Khayrallah Innovation Fellows. These fellows will serve in a year-long internship at the Carolina Center for Excellence in Education supporting learning innovation design.
The Nancy Blanche Norman Scholarship
Eligibility
Students pursuing college degrees in the field of public education.
About the award
This fund, established by the estate planning of Nancy Norman, is used to support students pursuing college degrees in the field of public education. Dr. Norman received her M.A. in elementary education in 1943 and an Ed.D. in administration and supervision in 1965 from UNC. She taught in Wentworth, Draper and Leaksville (now Eden) prior to becoming a principal at Burton Grove School from 1945-1975. She was the first female principal in North Carolina to receive her doctorate in education. During summer vacations she taught at Boston College, UNC, Western Carolina and Duke.
Patrick W. and Janet R. Carlton Award for Dissertation Research in Educational Leadership
Eligibility
Doctoral student working on his or her dissertation in educational leadership
About the award
This award was established by Dr. Patrick Carlton, who received his M.Ed. in Science Education in 1961 and his Ph.D. in Education in 1966. He is a professor and Undergraduate Coordinator of the Masters in Public Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Priddy Family Award
Eligibility
Doctoral student in the Educational Leadership program with a preference for a student who plans to become a school system superintendent.
About the award
The Priddy Family Award was established by current School of Education Alumni Council President Michael D. Priddy (A.B. ’70, M.Ed. ’75, Ed.D. ’81) on the occasion of his mother’s 100th birthday in 2017. The fund honors Dorothy Page Wiggs Priddy and will provide a scholarship to a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership program with a preference for a student who plans to become a school system superintendent.
Samuel M. Holton Graduate Fellowship in Foundations of Education
Eligibility
Doctoral candidates studying the history or philosophy of education.
About the award
This Fellowship was created by Samuel H. Holton, the late professor emeritus of social foundations of education and his late wife, Margaret, in 2000 to help support doctoral candidates studying the history or philosophy of education. Holton served on the faculty of the School of Education from 1948 until his retirement in 1987. He was chair of the social foundations area, supervised the dissertation research of more than 50 doctoral candidates and received several teaching awards.
Susan Friel Graduate Student Stipend for Mathematics Education
Eligibility
Graduate students, with a preference for doctoral students, whose studies are in mathematics education.
About the award
This stipend is awarded to graduate students, with a preference for doctoral students, whose studies are in mathematics education at the School of Education. Priority is given to students who are midway through their program and who could benefit from a stipend to help offset the costs of their education and provide them the financial capability to complete their course of study without having to work. The award is named in honor of Susan Friel, Professor of Mathematics Education at the School of Education.
The Virginia Carter Gobbel Fellowship
Eligibility
Graduate student in educational leadership who wishes to pursue a career in the public schools either as a teacher or administrator.
About the award
The Gobbel Fellowship was established by Ann Gobbel Sullivan (A.B.Ed. ’57) and Noel Sullivan (B.S.B.A. ’56) whose mothers were both teachers. Ann’s mother, Virginia Carter Gobbel, started her career in a one-room schoolhouse near Salisbury, North Carolina. Noel’s mother taught English at Chapel Hill High School.
W.D. Perry Award
Eligibility
Students in the School Counseling program.
How to be considered: Recipients nominated by peers, faculty and public school personnel.
About the award
This award was named for Dr. William D. Perry, a former full professor in the School of Education who provided more than 30 years of leadership. After coming to the UNC-Chapel Hill in 1939, Dr. Perry exerted a major influence in the development both of the counseling program and the Guidance and Testing Center. The Center continued to serve the University for many years after Dr. Perry retired in 1973. The Perry award continues to recognize the student who is judged by the faculty to have demonstrated excellence of achievement in academics, outstanding performance in the counseling field placement coupled with unwavering adherence to ethical and professional standards, and demonstrated student leadership within the program.
The William C. Self Award
Eligibility
Doctoral student in Policy, Leadership and School Improvement.
About the award
William Self (M.A.Ed. ’48, Ed.D. ’56) was dean of the School of Education from 1978 to 1982. He devoted his career to addressing issues of educational equity. Before becoming dean, Self served as superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System from 1967 to 1972, leading that system as it implemented racial desegregation policies.
The Barry and Ann Hounshell Fund
Eligibility
Preference given to a graduate student studying science education.
About the award
The Barry and Ann Hounshell Fund was established in 2020 in honor of former School of Education professor Dr. Barry Hounshell and his wife Ann. This scholarship will honor Dr. Hounshell’s work and life in hopes of reminding students and faculty members of the importance of mentoring and developing lifelong commitments to their students in the School of Education.