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Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships have been established to provide financial assistance to graduate students as they pursue a degree. Assistantship appointments are made through the various graduate departments and programs under the auspices of the School of Graduate Studies. There are two kinds of assistantships available: Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA). GTAs share the faculty's responsibility for teaching, while a GRA does research under the supervision of a faculty member. A graduate assistant must be registered for at least nine semester hours of graduate, credit courses during any term in which they hold an appointment.

Tuition and fees up to ten hours per semester are paid in behalf of all GTAs and GRAs. In addition, single-person health insurance coverage is paid by the University on behalf of all graduate assistants.

Graduate assistantship support is classified according to three educational levels: Level I (pre-master's), Level II (post-master's/passed the Ph.D. preliminary examination), and Level III (passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination). Stipend ranges for each assistant are set by each department or program, subject to the ranges set by the Graduate School and reviewed by the Graduate Council each Spring for the following academic year. The current (AY 2004-2005) stipend ranges are:

Level I: $3375 - $7400/semester
Level II: $4725 - $8300/semester
Level III: $5625 - $11000/semester