Departmental Policies

Teaching and Research Assistantships

Because the M.S. and Ph.D. programs are rigorous, the Department strongly discourages students with assistantship support from working outside the University during the academic year. The number of assistantships varies from year to year, depending on funding allocations made by the School and on the success of the Department in obtaining externally supported research grants.

Continued support for individual students is not guaranteed beyond what is stated in the offer letter. Funding is always contingent on satisfactory progress (see above), satisfactory work on the assistantship. Beyond the funding that is guaranteed in the initial offer letter, continuing funding will be contingent on the availability of funds, the length of time the student has been in the program, and satisfactory progress in the program. As a general rule, we do not provide financial support to MS students, but we may consider granting assistantships to exceptional MS candidates. We encourage MS students to obtain internships over the summer term. Ph.D. students, who are normally admitted with an assistantship, usually receive four years of support. In some cases, we are able to provide summer support to Ph.D. students, in the form of fellowships or research assistantships.

Assistantships come in the form of Research Assistantships (RA) or Teaching Assistantships (TA). Performance as a TA or RA will be evaluated by the faculty supervisor and the Graduate Studies Committee. Students should seek guidance from the supervisor as needed to perform their teaching or research responsibilities. If a student is concerned about the quantity or quality of a supervisor’s guidance, he or she should consult with the Graduate Program Director or Department Chair (in that order). Students who do not perform their assistantship duties well may have their funding reduced or eliminated.

The duties of a teaching assistant may include but are not restricted to: grading problem sets and examinations, tutoring individual students, leading discussion sections, and helping with administrative tasks associated with courses. The TA may be required to give lectures for a course, but may not assign grades. Another variant of graduate support is available in the form of “Teaching Associate”. A Teaching Associate has sole responsibility for teaching an undergraduate course. Candidates for Teaching Associates are in or beyond their third year of the program; we ask students interested in this to communicate such interest to the GPD during their first or second year. Teaching Associate experience is an excellent addition to the student’s CV, an experience that is particularly valued by academic employers. Teaching Associates are usually offered an additional stipend.

During the first year, a student with an RA will be assigned to a sponsored research project. Every attempt will be made to place assistants in projects that match their areas of interest, but this may not always be possible. In the first year, an RA may be involved in activities such as data manipulation and literature search that may or may not relate to the thesis or dissertation topic, within the constraints of the supported research activities of the Department.

Fall assistantships begin at the beginning of September and end around mid-January. Spring assistantships begin around mid-January and end 19 weeks later, toward the end of May. Employment during spring break may be required in order to fulfill work requirements. Particular arrangements should be made between the assistant and the supervisor and meet the approval of the Department Chair.

The standard assistantship is a half-time position representing 20 hours of work per week during the academic year and, depending on funding availability and details in the offer letter provided to the student, a varying number of hours per week during the summer (if the student has been offered a summer RA position). By April 1st of the first year, each student who will be a research assistant over the summer will be asked to consult with the faculty advisor and then to submit summer vacation and work plans to the faculty advisor, Graduate Program Director, and Department Chair.

Should departmental research funds permit, students on summer assistantships (if applicable) might be offered an opportunity to work more than the standard contract during the summer months. Alternatively, a faculty member may use outside grant money to pay a research assistant to work increased hours during the summer; the GPD will facilitate matching a faculty member needing to secure an RA with a student in the pool of available RAs.

Graduate assistants working on departmental research, teaching or extension projects should use departmental supplies for the work connected with the project; they may obtain supplies by requesting them from the Graduate Program Coordinator. No student should take departmental supplies for personal use. Graduate assistants working on departmental projects as employees are entitled to reimbursement for travel and other expenses (related to that work) in accord with University policy. University rules should be followed carefully, particularly the requirement to submit a travel authorization form at least two weeks prior to travel.

There are two established graduate performance-based awards in the department.

The Carolyn Harper Fund and Fellowship is a scholarly awards program in memory of the influential late Professor Carolyn Harper. Each fall semester, the department chair and the GPD solicit nomination from the faculty and select among the nominated students one or two who best exemplify the qualities that Dr. Carolyn Harper had in such abundance: scholarly achievement, concern for social and environmental issues, and racial and gender justice.

The Vijay Bhagavan Teaching Assistant of Distinction Award is established through the generosity of Vijay’s parents, Anuradha and V.S. (Manny) Bhagavan, in memory of their beloved son. Each fall semester, the department chair and the GPD solicit nomination from the faculty and select among the nominated students one or two who demonstrated the excellent quality as a graduate teaching assistant and graduate instructor exemplified in Vijay’s past work.

Each award provides the recipient with a monetary prize as well as an award plaque. It is typically presented at a departmental ceremony to honor the legacy of Carolyn and Vijay.

Conditional Funding Determination

Ph.D. students’ TA/RA funding opportunity is determined conditional on continuous satisfactory progress during the degree program.

Three crucial milestones will be used to gauge the funding availability for each student: (1) passing comprehensive and field exams by the first day of one’s third year, (2) submitting the second-year paper before the first day of one’s third year and receiving a passing grade, and (3) completing the prospectus before the first day of one’s fourth year.

For the first milestone regarding comprehensive and field exams, each student has two chances for a particular exam. Those who failed the first test will be given another opportunity to retake the same test.

Finally, regardless of the milestone status, students will be expected to graduate within 5 years. TA/RA Funding for the 6th year is only occasionally granted with GPD discretion. No student is eligible for receiving departmental funding in their 7th year and onward.

Students may take leave of absence for health-related reasons (i.e., parental leave, sick leave, family sick leave, etc.) Proper documentation and proof, along with the Leave of Absence Application, need to be submitted to the Graduate School per the graduate school guidelines.

Additional exceptions to the above rules will be rare and will need to receive a written memo from the GPD detailing the agreement.