Sociology > Programs > Graduate > Financial Aid
Our department awards teaching assistantships to incoming students at the time of admission, based upon academic merit. A teaching assistant (TA), receives a waiver of all tuition and fees, with the exception of a few hundred dollars per semester for health insurance and other miscellaneous fees. TA's also receive a stipend, paid monthly over the course of the nine month academic year. (In 1997-98, we paid TA's $1000 per month.)
TA duties require 10-20 hours per week (depending upon the level of funding), and include leading discussion sections, grading papers, and various other teaching related duties. TA's are required to earn at least eight hours of credit each semester (excluding summer), and are also be required to take Sociology 593: Colloquium on College Teaching of Sociology in their first semester. TA's must be certified as fluent in spoken English if English is not their native language. This may require additional course work.
A TA may renew an assistantship for up to two years for the MA, or four years for the PhD. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory progress toward the degree, satisfactory performance of teaching duties, and competence in spoken English.
Research assistants (RA's) are generally hired by individual faculty members, although we can sometimes offer placement assistance. Specific duties, working hours, and salaries vary on a case-by-case basis, although the stipend and tuition waiver are generally comparable to what a TA would receive. An RA must also earn at least eight hours of credit per semester (excluding summer).
Research assistantships are usually renewed at the discretion of the supervising faculty member, the main criteria being satisfactory job performance and availability of funds.
We select nominees for university-administered fellowships (e.g., the Abraham Lincoln Graduate Fellowships, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Financial Awards, and the University Fellowships) from among the most outstanding eligible students. A special committee of the Graduate College then judges these nominees alongside candidates from other departments, and selects the fellowship recipients.
University-administered fellowships carry both a stipend and a tuition and service fee waiver. There are no duties associated with these fellowships, and recipients are usually permitted to seek employment as teaching or research assistants to supplement the fellowship stipend. However, recipients must earn at least twelve hours of credit per semester (six in the summer) for the duration of the fellowship.
Renewability of fellowships varies among different fellowships. In some cases, a recipient must re-apply and compete for renewal. In other cases, renewability may be limited, or even forbidden.
Information on nationally or regionally sponsored fellowships can be obtained by contacting the sponsors directly.
Each semester, we are able to award a very limited number of tuition and service fee waivers to students who have no other source of financial support. These waivers are awarded based on need and academic progress. They are awarded for one semester at a time, and are not intended to serve as a permanent means of financial support.
There are no duties associated with these waivers, nor is there a stipend. However, recipients must earn at least twelve hours of credit during the semester for which the waiver is awarded (six in the summer session). Additional restrictions may also apply.
Information on grants, loans, student employment, scholarships, and other types of aid is available from the university's Office of Student Financial Aid.