PhD graduate students are provided the following support—a yearly stipend (for 2024/25, approximately $34,000) with additional benefits of health insurance, dental insurance and tuition and curriculum fee waivers. The value of stipend, benefits and waivers totals more than $46K. The stipends may be from a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship or fellowships. First semester PhD students undertake 3 rotations and are supported in the Fall with College fellowships. All PhD students are required to serve as teaching assistants in an instructive capacity for at least two semesters during their study. Doctoral degree students who remain in good standing will be supported for up to five years.
Master's student support is by arrangement between the student and their advisor for both the traditional MS degree and the 5th year MS degree, and prospective students must clarify this directly with their proposed advisor. Traditional MS students who remain in good standing are generally supported by their advisor for two years. The 5th year MS program is limited to undergraduates from the Five Colleges: Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, UMass Amherst.