Research assistantships are awarded to new as well as continuing students. More than any other type of support, RAs are tied to grant-related funding and are thus administered independently by each program. For more information, students should contact their program’s director of graduate study.

The time devoted to being a RA should not generally exceed an average of 20 hours per week, unless the research being conducted is integral to an RA’s dissertation research. In such cases, the 20-hour limit does not apply. In departments where the workload varies significantly between research projects, every attempt is made to balance out the workload among available RAs.

An RA’s financial award includes a stipend, full tuition, health insurance, and a health services fee.

Appointments are made on an annual or semester basis on the recommendation of the department. Double work appointments are not allowed.