Many students entering the graduate program receive financial aid from one of two sources.
First, the Department offers teaching and research assistantships, which can require up to 20 hours of service per week. These duties generally involve conducting small discussion sections of large lecture courses and helping with grading, although some advanced students teach their own courses. Some assistantships are purely for research. Graduate assistants also receive an attractive package of fringe benefits which includes medical insurance and full tuition remission. Students who are awarded financial aid in the first year and remain in good standing within the program can normally expect to receive financial aid for four or five years.