The financial aid award may provide full or partial support. A full-time assistant receives a stipend and tuition scholarship and is responsible for performing 20 hours of work per week. Partial assistantships offering less than 20 hours of work per week may also be available. The RA conducts directed research with individual faculty members. Continuing financial aid is conditional on satisfactory preformance of assigned assistantship duties, satisfactory academic progress, and on the recommendation of the student's thesis advisor.
Many students find opportunities in the Summer to perform research with their advisors.
There are a few TA positions available in the Summer. Most fellowships, like assistantships, provide a stipend and tuition scholarship. Unlike TAs or RAs, Fellows are not required to work for the stipends they receive. However, they are expected to locate a thesis advisor and conduct research for a thesis, the same as other graduate students. This Fellowship is open to United States citizens or Permanent Residents of the U.S. only who want to pursue the PhD .