Financial support options
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The chemistry department offers graduate assistantships for Ph.D. students, which provide monthly stipends and waive tuition expenses. Graduate assistants are required to carry a full course load of 16 credit hours in addition to research and/or thesis work each term (with the exception of summer term, during which time graduate assistants are required to register for nine credits).
Teaching assistantships
First-year Ph.D. graduate students are generally supported as teaching assistants. Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) work with the faculty by conducting recitation and laboratory sections and assisting with grading and examinations. The time commitment for a GTA averages 12 hours per week.
Research assistantships
Most of the research conducted in the department is supported by grants from federal agencies, e.g., the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, or large private sources such as the Petroleum Research Fund or Research Corporation. Graduate students performing non-credit-hour research on these projects are supported as research assistants.
During the first term of study, graduate students should discuss prospects for research support with faculty members with whom they are interested in doing thesis research. Faculty members cannot provide absolute assurance of support since it depends on the renewal of research grants by outside agencies, and these actions cannot be predicted with certainty.
Fellowships/scholarships
Advisors may nominate their graduate students for the summer fellowships that cover salary for the summer months.
