Assistantships and Fellowships Graduate Teaching Assistantships are the most common type of financial support for departmental graduate students. The duties usually entail teaching two or three undergraduate courses per academic year or serving as a teaching assistant in a large section of a course. Master's students normally receive graduate teaching assistantships for two consecutive academic years and one summer session, which is the typical time required to complete their degrees. R.C. Edwards Fellowships and Alumni Fellowships are awarded by the Graduate School. The department nominates candidates who compete with other nominees throughout the university.
Fellowships require no explicit duties.
Applicants to our department have been quite successful in winning these awards in recent years. Research Assistantships are available to graduate students through research grants and contracts held by faculty members in the department. They may pay a somewhat higher rate than the teaching assistantships and are awarded based on availability and the qualifications of the recipients. Tuition and Fees Graduate Assistants pay a flat fee which is substantially below the regular cost of tuition. The usual graduate assistant courseload is 9 credit hours per semester.