Assistantships

Financial assistance is available for graduate teaching assistants (GTA) and for graduate research assistants (GRA).  A GTA handles laboratory sections, grades papers, or performs other assigned instructional duties.  A GRA is compensated to conduct supervised research, which generally relates to the student’s thesis or dissertation research.

The minimum compensation rate for graduate assistants is $15.64 per hour for master’s degree candidates and $16.73 per hour for Ph.D. students.  A conventional full-time GRA/GTA (twenty (20) hours per week) for an M.S. degree pays $10,322.40 per academic year and $2,710.88 per month in the summer (forty (40) hours per week) for a total of approximately $19,810.48 per calendar year.  A conventional full-time GRA/GTA (twenty (20) hours per week) for a Ph.D. degree pays $11,041.80 per academic year and $2,899.81 per month in the summer (forty (40) hours per week) for a total of approximately $21,191.14 per calendar year.

If funds are available, extra support can also be provided for work effort during the Christmas break.  A full-time GTA or GRA is expected to devote a minimum of twenty (20) hours per week to assigned duties during the academic year.  Part-time service is compensated in accordance with expected hourly effort and the above hourly rates.

The student with a research assistantship (GRA) should recognize that the prescribed hours of research work are minimum expectations mandated by employment practices and may not represent the effort which actually will be necessary to produce a satisfactory thesis or dissertation within a reasonable period of time.

The graduate student must be registered as a full-time student during the academic period in order to receive an assistantship.  Up to eight (8) semester hours of research credit may be awarded for one summer of work.  Continuing students must register before assistantships and fellowships are processed for the semester for which they are authorized.  Pre-registration is required to prevent payment delays.