All new Graduate Student Instructors are required to attend an orientation and training program during the week before the beginning of classes. New Graduate Student Instructors whose native language is not English must pass an English Evaluation which tests the specific oral skills needed for classroom teaching and are required to attend a three-week cultural orientation program in August. Research Assistantships are awarded mainly to Ph.D. students during Stage III to relieve them of teaching duties during the final part of their dissertation research. Students at this point may also compete for Rackham Dissertation Fellowships, which provide full support for one year, or Research Partnerships. A small number of positions as paper-graders for the larger advanced courses is available each term.
Some additional funds are available for support during the summer.
More advanced students who are actively involved in research may be supported from NSF grants awarded to faculty members. For other students there is a limited number of Departmental fellowships and a few teaching positions are available. No advanced graduate courses are offered in either the Spring or Summer half-terms and students are encouraged to spend some of their summers working in government or industry.