Graduate Assistantships

Funding for New Students

All graduate applicants, both international and domestic, are automatically considered for financial support as graduate assistants (GAs), which includes a monthly stipend and tuition waiver. If you are accepted into the program with financial support, you will receive an offer of financial support with your offer of admission. You do not need to complete any additional steps on your end to be considered for a GA position. However, PhD students are given priority for GA positions. MS students will only be considered after all PhD students have GA appointments. In this case, all MS students without funding will be considered for the remaining positions. However, MS students should not count on receiving a GA appointment.

If you do not receive a financial support offer from our department, the best practice is to explore other funding opportunities through our university jobs website and the Pomerantz Career Center website. The Office of Student Financial Aid also has a lot of helpful information on their website, including a page about loan options. 

Funding for Current Students

Applications for open graduate assistant positions will be made available to current graduate students in the spring semester.

If you do not receive a financial support offer from our department, the best practice is to explore other funding opportunities through our university jobs website and the Pomerantz Career Center website. The Office of Student Financial Aid also has a lot of helpful information on their website, including a page about loan options. 

Continued Funding for Graduate Assistants

*Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory academic and work performance, and availability of funding

Students who are receiving financial support as a graduate assistant (TA, RA or Grader) from the department are expected to register for a minimum course load each fall and spring semester of their appointment.

• MS students should take 9 hours minimum during their first year, and 7 hours minimum during their second year, in courses suitable for their program of study.
• Pre-Comp PhD students (those who have passed the PhD Candidacy Review) but have not yet taken the PhD Comps should take 7 hours minimum in courses suitable for their program of study.
• Post-Comp PhD students should take at least 4 hours of seminars and/or Reading Research STAT:7990 (22S:299). Recall that Ph.D. students are required to take at least 18 semester hours of STAT:7990 (22S:299).
• All students will receive tuition support for all courses suitable for their program of study, plus at most one semester-credit hour on other courses
• Exceptions may be made with the approval of both the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Adequate progress milestones

Support for year 2

• Pass SPEC test at grade B or higher before start of second year (international students only).
• Complete at least 18 s.h. the first two semesters with a GPA of at least 3.00, including at least 9 s.h. the first semester with a GPA of at least 3.00

Support for year 3

• PhD Candidacy (official entry into the PhD program) is established upon successful completion of the Graduate Core Examination and the Creative Component. 

Support for year 4

• Pass: Foundations of Probability I and II, STAT:7300-7301)  22S:203-204 or Advanced Inference I and II, STAT:7100-7101, (22S:253-254), and meet departmental GPA requirements by the end of the first semester of the third year.

Support for year 5

• Pass PhD Final (Comprehensive) Exam by the end of fourth year.
• Within 18 months of passing the PhD Final (Comprehensive) Exam, the PhD candidate should present a written and oral Prospectus to his or her committee. Failure to meet this deadline may result in non-renewal of financial support.