Students requesting assistantships or fellowships are responsible for ensuring that all application materials are on file in the Graduate School by February 1 for entrance in the Fall. Many agencies not connected to the University are potential sources of financial aid for graduate students. The departmental newsletter routinely provides information on sources of support. The University maintains an extensive collection containing information on funding sources, private and public. We especially encourage minority students to apply for the Minority Fellowship Program sponsored by the American Sociological Association.
Undergraduates apply in their senior year and funding lasts for three years.
From the moment they set foot on campus, most graduate students in the Department of Sociology participate in teaching and research activities with faculty. Virtually all incoming students are hired as Teaching Assistants. Teaching Assistant duties vary considerably from one course to another. The Assitantships often include grading papers and exams, helping to design assignments, holding office hours, working with students to improve their writing or develop their ability to read and think critically, and after the first year, leading discussion sections. In courses with discussion sections, the T.A.s and the faculty instructor usually meet regularly to go over readings and discuss lectures.