Assistantships and Fellowships
Financial aid is available as assistantships and fellowships. Assistantships require students to work a certain number of hours per week while fellowships require research or teaching only in some years. Both are awarded competitively. The department controls a number of assistantships that require tasks related to the teaching program. Students apply through the Department Chair or Graduate Coordinator for teaching assistantships. Research assistantships are also available, funded by research grants. The grant’s principal investigator is responsible for awarding research assistantships. Sociology graduate students are also awarded research or teaching assistantships by other units within the university dependent on the needs of that unit. The Graduate Coordinator can provide information on likely sources of nondepartmental assistantship funding. The department does not control any fellowship funds, but the Graduate Coordinator can suggest possible college, university, and other sources of fellowship funds.
Graduate teaching and research assistants are evaluated each year; both initial appointment and renewal are competitive. For continuing students, one criterion for reappointment is the faculty evaluation of performance in previously held assistantships. Another criterion is the student’s satisfactory progress in the degree program. Decisions on award and renewal of research assistantships lie with the grant’s principal investigator, and for nondepartmental assistantships lie with the awarding unit.