Trainees are required to complete a first year project, to be completed by the deadline stipulated by the trainee's home department or, if no such requirement exists, by the latest deadline required by the other Center core departments. Trainees are required to register for the weekly colloquia, which bring in important speakers from within and outside of the University of Minnesota. This is a necessary function in the training of Predoctoral students. Trainees are required to attend the weekly training meetings, which seek to provide familiarity with activities relevant to professional careers such as scientific ethics, teaching, curriculum vitae, and grant proposal writing. This requirement applies to the first 3 years of a student's program.
Trainees often seek to supplement their stipend.
Such supplementation is limited to activities that directly contribute to their training.