Full-time graduate students are eligible for financial support in the form of Research Assistantships, Teaching Assistantships, and a variety of fellowships. The following figures are provided for your reference. All figures are based on the 2000-2001 academic year. A graduate student with support as a Research Assistant should plan to spend up to 20 hours per week assisting a faculty member in his or her research program.
Typical activities involve scientific computing, data analysis, and laboratory or field work.
Funding for Research Assistantships comes from external sources, primarily grants and contracts obtained by individual faculty members. Continuation of support is contingent on the student's performance as well as ongoing external funding. The specific duties vary depending on the nature of the course and the teaching style of the faculty member. In courses which include laboratories, Teaching Assistants may be responsible for setting up and conducting the lab sections. Teaching Assistants are usually responsible for grading examinations and problem sets, and in some cases they may assist the faculty member in developing laboratory exercises, problem sets, or exams.