Graduate Assistantships
Build your credentials and professional portfolio in the public humanities or programming and administration!
Deadline: April 10, 2026 (11:59 pm)
The Kaplan Humanities Institute is accepting applications for two interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantships in the Humanities for 2026-2027.
1 — Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantship in the Public Humanities
- This role is listed in the TGS application portal as "Public Humanities"
The 2026-2027 Public Humanities Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistant in the Kaplan Humanities Institute will work closely with the Kaplan Public Humanities Teaching Fellow to run the yearlong Public Humanities Graduate Practicum. The GA will also contribute to graduate student career development initiatives, among other duties. The goal of the assistantship is to develop skills and credentials in the public humanities, with training in event management, interpersonal skills, community engagement, group leadership, and professionalization.
Funding
- Stipend for academic year (fall, winter, spring quarters)
- Tuition scholarship
Expectations
- Expected to dedicate two (2) full workdays a week to this job for the duration of the academic year; the GA is also expected to attend the Wednesday Kaplan Conversations lunch colloquium series
- Based on budget and identified needs, the GA and Kaplan staff will, in the fall, create a plan for work to be carried out over the year. The GA will report to the Kaplan Associate Director.
#2 — The Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantship
- This role is listed in the TGS application portal as "Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities"
The 2026-2027 Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantship with the Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program (KHSP; see description below) is a three-quarter (fall, winter and spring) opportunity at the Kaplan Humanities Institute designed to build professional capacity in programming and administration. The role will encompass a broad range of duties, from supporting on-campus events and other course enhancement initiatives, to collaboration and outreach initiatives with off-campus partners. The goal of the assistantship is to develop skills and credentials in the areas of event management, interpersonal skills, academic operations, group leadership, and experiential learning experiences, among others.
About KHSP: The Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program is a unique opportunity for first-year students to embark on their college career with a dynamic program of courses team-taught by award-winning faculty. Kaplan Scholars take a sequence of two paired courses that cross the boundaries of academic disciplines, geography, culture, and historical periods. The coursework integrates a variety of intellectual methods to help them refine critical reading and writing skills, and to examine how ordinary citizens, artists, authors, and thinkers alike have contributed to the central role played by the humanities in our world. Each course features scholar visits and field trips and fulfills a graduation requirement of Weinberg College. KHSP helps first-years take a big step into a life of critical and creative thinking. No matter what their intended major, this program offers the chance to build their intellectual and social community from their very first days at Northwestern.
Funding
- Stipend for the full academic year (Fall, Winter Spring quarters)
- Tuition scholarship
Expectations
- Expected to be present, onsite, and working for the duration of KHSP Pre-orientation (3 consecutive days prior to Wildcat Welcome) and Wildcat Welcome (5 days prior to the first day of classes)—exact schedule TBD (this fall-heavy schedule will be balanced with a lighter spring agenda.)
- Expected to dedicate two (2) full workdays a week to this job for the duration of the academic year
- Expected to attend KHSP off-campus excursions, which generally take place after 5pm or on weekends (these excursions will count towards weekly work hours)
- Expected to make every effort to attend the Wednesday Kaplan Conversations lunch colloquium series
- Expected to assist KHSP faculty and leadership in general course preparation, office administration tasks, and other duties as needed
Eligibility
To be eligible for either of these Graduate Assistantships, you must:
- be a TGS student
- be a PhD student in the humanities or social sciences
- be in good academic standing
- have the approval of your program DGS and primary thesis advisor to accept the appointment
Important: These positions are open to any PhD student in good standing in their 3rd through 6th year during the 2026-2027 school year. Remember that TGS calculates a student's year based on number of quarters they have been in their PhD program, so we encourage you to confirm your clock with your program, especially if you have questions about an MA/PhD program. At the discretion of their home departments/partner schools, students from humanities and social sciences programs may "bank" the quarters to be used during their sixth year (see TGS Student Funding policy).
Application Instructions and Materials
Applications are submitted via a TGS online application portal (see link at bottom of this page). Please review all application instructions prior to clicking through to the portal; you will not be able to save an incomplete application. Note: application documents must be submitted in PDF format.
To apply
Please submit a complete application for the position you are seeking. If you'd like to apply for both GAships, please be sure to submit separate applications in the application portal.
Please prepare and upload one single PDF containing the following:
- Cover letter: outlining your relevant experiences and how this opportunity would augment your professional advancement
- Research Statement: abstract of your dissertation topic (1 page); if you do not yet have a dissertation abstract, you may submit a writing sample (up to 10 pages)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Contact information for two professional references, one from off-campus, if possible
Application Deadline
April 10, 2026 (11:59 pm)
Application Portal Page
https://fellowships.tgs.northwestern.edu/iaship/
Questions?
Please email Tom Burke (thomas.burke@northwestern.edu)