Teaching Assistantships . The department has a few positions which allow students to gain teaching experience by assisting a faculty member and, at the same time, receive financial aid in the form of a salary. Doc- toral candidates are given first priority in the selection of teaching assistants. Project and Research Assistantships . Faculty with research projects hire students to assist them for an academic year, or on a semester or summer basis.
Assistants receive a salary based on the time they devote to the project and pay only resident fees.
Students whose work on a faculty research project meets the requirements for a Master's or doctoral thesis will be appointed as a research assistant. Both the qualifications for the selection of research and project assistants are determined by the faculty in charge of the research. Students are not restricted to projects within the planning department and are encouraged to apply for assistantships offered by other academic departments and the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Loans and Workstudy Many students who do not have sufficient funds for tuition and living expenses may finance their graduate studies through loans and work study. Both programs are administered by the Office of Student Financial Services .