Student Financial Support and Employment

Funding Packages for Admitted Students

Students admitted to the Film & Media Ph.D. program receive a five-year funding package, as outlined in each student’s official funding offer. The package covers applicable tuition, required fees, and student health insurance. During the fall and spring semesters, support is provided either through a fellowship administered as Student Financial Support or through employment as a Graduate Student Instructor. The package also includes summer support. Students should consult their official funding offer for the specific terms of their package.

Academic Student Employment

Graduate Student Instructor appointments in Film & Media are typically 50% appointments, or an average of 20 hours per week over the course of the semester. GSIs may lead discussion sections for undergraduate lecture courses or serve as instructors for Reading and Composition courses.

Reader positions may also be available within the undergraduate program. Appointment percentages and responsibilities vary according to the course and instructional need and generally include grading papers and examinations.

Graduate Student Researcher positions may occasionally be available through faculty research grants. These appointments are arranged by the faculty member directing the research and are separate from the department’s standard funding structure.

Academic student employment, including GSI, Reader, and GSR appointments, is governed by applicable UC-UAW collective bargaining agreements and current University and Graduate Division policy.

Teaching Preparation Requirements 

Film & Media PhD students typically complete FILM 375 in preparation for their first teaching appointment. First-time GSIs must complete a 300-level pedagogy course prior to or during the first semester of teaching.

Students whose initial 300-level pedagogy course did not include preparation for teaching Reading and Composition must complete an approved R&C pedagogy course prior to or concurrently with teaching an R&C course.

First-time GSIs must also complete all applicable campus teaching preparation and orientation requirements, including the Teaching Conference for First-Time GSIs, the GSI Professional Standards and Ethics Online Course, and the New ASE Orientation led by the UAW.

Eligibility for Academic Employment 

Students must be in good academic standing, make satisfactory progress toward program milestones, and meet current Graduate Division registration, enrollment, and appointment requirements to hold an academic appointment. Students holding GSI appointments must also satisfy applicable oral English proficiency requirements.

During the academic year, graduate student academic appointments are normally limited to 50% time. Appointments exceeding 50% require approval in accordance with current Graduate Division policy.

Employment-based support within a student’s funding package is contingent upon appointment eligibility and fulfillment of program requirements. Specific teaching assignments depend on instructional need. Teaching appointments beyond the guaranteed funding period are not guaranteed.

Current students should consult the Graduate Student Academic Appointments Handbook for complete appointment eligibility requirements, limits on service in teaching titles, fee-remission eligibility, and exception procedures.

Departmental Funding for Continuing Students

Subject to available funding, continuing Film & Media graduate students may apply for the following departmental awards. Award availability, amounts, deadlines, and application procedures may vary by year. The Head Graduate Adviser and Graduate Student Affairs Officer will notify students when departmental funding applications are available. 

  • Graduate Presentation Travel Grant: Supports travel to present original research or creative work at a scholarly conference, symposium, colloquium, film festival, or museum exhibition.
  • Graduate Research Travel Grant: Supports travel to archives, film festivals, collections, or other locations directly related to a student’s research or creative work.
  • Summer Grants: A separate summer funding application is also available and may include support for language study, research travel, presentation travel, and academic materials.

Employment Opportunities for Students Outside of Film & Media

After teaching assignments have been made to eligible Film & Media graduate students, the department may consider applications from students in the Designated Emphasis in Film & Media and other eligible Berkeley graduate students for any remaining positions.

Interested applicants should submit the following as a single PDF attachment:

  • A cover letter describing previous teaching experience

  • A current CV or résumé

Materials should be emailed to the Graduate Student Affairs Officer at rfahgradadvising@berkeley.edu by March 1 for consideration for the following academic year. Application deadlines and procedures are subject to change.

University and External Funding Resources

Fellowship availability, eligibility requirements, award amounts, and deadlines change regularly. Students should consult the sponsoring organization’s current instructions before applying.

Some Berkeley fellowships require departmental nomination. Students interested in nomination-based awards should contact the Graduate Student Affairs Officer well before the published deadline.

Fellowships and Programs of Particular Interest to Film & Media Students

Students should verify all eligibility requirements, deadlines, and application procedures directly with the fellowship sponsor before applying.

  • Global, International & Area Studies (GIAS): GIAS provides several fellowships to support graduate students conducting research in international and area studies. This page lists grants administered by GIAS itself. The GIAS Unit Fellowships & Grants page lists fellowships administered by individual GIAS units.

  • Mabelle McLeod Lewis Fellowships: The Mabelle McLeod Lewis Memorial Fund provides dissertation write-up grants to Ph.D. candidates in the humanities. Grants support students completing dissertations with a humanistic focus and are available only to applicants who demonstrate financial need, as determined by the fund’s trustees.

  • Townsend Dissertation Fellowships: Supports advanced doctoral students writing Ph.D. dissertations whose research significantly involves humanistic material or problems bearing on the humanities. Applicants should review the current eligibility and candidacy requirements.

  • UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship: Part of the UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative, this fellowship supports eligible doctoral students preparing to pursue faculty careers. Applicants should review the current Graduate Division requirements for eligibility, nomination, and application procedures.

  • Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship: Supports eligible doctoral students conducting dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies.