Under close supervision of the faculty, the teaching assistant concurrently develops teaching skills and a deeper understanding of the discipline. A Graduate Research Assistant may be appointed in a department through the Graduate School budget or by the principal investigator of a funded research project. In either case, the student is assigned a range of duties such as library searches, field work, laboratory experiences, and preparation of research proposals and grants to gain professional skills in research, which complement the student's graduate education. A Graduate Assistant performs other duties that are not primarily teaching or research. These may include clinical, advising or administrative responsibilities which are inherently related to the student's educational and career objectives.
Some graduate programs have a limited number of tuition scholarships available to students.
These are frequently reserved for students with serious financial need. The Graduate School also has another budget for tuition scholarships that is used to match stipends provided to students via extramural grants or contracts. Individual departments or programs may receive funding from sources external to the University for support of graduate students requiring no service in return. From such grants, graduate students may be appointed to fellowships consisting of stipends and full tuition scholarships with the academic approval of the Graduate Dean. Trainees will be required to participate in training experience as demanded by the grantor.