Financial Assistance

Assistantships

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA). A Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) is awarded to help accomplish specific research objectives or to facilitate the research of the Department. Thesis work usually qualifies as an essential component of such projects, but other work, instead of or in addition to thesis research, may be specified by the Supervisor of the GRA. The types of work required will vary for different GRA appointments because of differing project needs.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA). A Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) is awarded for up to three terms. Although there are no GTA appointments in the Forest Ecosystems and Society Department, students from Forest Ecosystems and Society may be selected as GTAs in Forest Engineering, Resources and Management or other departments. GTAs are all members of the Coalition of Graduate Employees collective bargaining unit.

Collective Bargaining Units

All graduate teaching assistants and some graduate research assistants may be members of the Coalition of Graduate Employees bargaining unit. For these students, terms and conditions of employment for service not required as part of their degree programs are prescribed in a collective bargaining agreement. For grievance procedures, these graduate assistants should refer to that document.

Compensation

A GRA is the most common form of financial aid. The specific stipend is approved by the Department Head for each GRA based on stipend guidelines determined annually by the College. Stipends for 0.49 FTE (nearly half-time work) are approximately $1,589.07* (pre-M.S.) or $1,701.28* (post-M.S.) per month. Appointments of 0.20 or 0.30 FTE pay proportionally less, but all appointments include full tuition remission; students still pay fees of approximately $482.36 per term. Appointments can be for one or two quarters rather than for an entire year. A student with a GRA or GTA may not have university employment, including student wages, that exceeds 0.49 FTE including the assistantship.

*Salaries and fees are subject to change. Salaries and fees shown are for the 2007-08 school year.

Course Loads

Students holding a GRA or GTA must complete 16 credit hours of graduate course work fall, winter, and spring terms, and 9 credit hours summer term. No more than 12 of these hours may be class work; the balance will be thesis hours.

Work Schedules

The specific assignment and work schedule for a GRA is established by the Supervisor. The number of hours of assigned work per week will vary with the FTE. A GTA of 0.49 FTE requires an average of 20 hours of project work per week over the assistantship period (approximately 255 hours per quarter). Other variations are possible with approval of the Supervisor. It is not unusual for students to work less than these amounts during their first year of classes and to exceed these levels when conducting thesis research. Thesis research is likely to require more of the student's time than that required by the GRA appointment. A significant investment of personal time is also needed for satisfactory completion of a thesis.

Duration of Funding

The Department wants students to conduct their research efficiently and finish their programs in a timely manner. Historically, full-time students in the Department have completed M.S. degrees in 8 quarters (2 years) and Ph.D. degrees in 16 quarters (4 years). Occasionally, unforeseen circumstances or the nature of the research will cause degree programs to run longer than intended. However, incentives promoting completion are important. Thus, as a general guideline, a GRA will be provided to a student for not more than 2 years in a master's program and 3 years in a Ph.D. program. The source of the funds determines the rigidity to which the guidelines are applied. For an externally funded GRA, support can be extended at the option of the Project Leader. For an internally funded GRA, a waiver of this guideline can be sought by petition to the Department Head. In all cases, appointments require satisfactory academic performance and progress toward a degree as determined by the Department Head in consultation with the Major Professor, Graduate Advisory Committee, and student.

Health Insurance, Sick Leave, and Annual Leave

As a condition of appointment to a graduate assistant position, you are required to have health insurance. The University has established a graduate health insurance plan and will contribute 75% per term towards the “graduate assistant only” premium and administrative fees. You should plan to authorize a deduction from your stipend for any additional premium and administrative fee costs that may result from this agreement. You may also enroll family members or a domestic partner on a self-pay basis through a deduction from your stipend. Information regarding the health insurance plan can be found here.

Other Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is also available through several Departmental, College, and University fellowships. There are often special application requirements for recipients of fellowships beyond meeting academic standards. These guidelines and deadlines are available through the Graduate Program Coordinator. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholorships administers student loans, grants, College Work-Study, and scholorship programs. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholorships also helps students find part-time employement.