Funding and Financial Support
All students admitted to the program are offered graduate fellowships that provide a competitive 12-month stipend, cover the costs of tuition, health insurance, and other fees. Support is guaranteed for five years subject to satisfactory academic progress.
The department does not distinguish teaching fellows and research assistants: all students are provided with a fellowship to support their research training, and all contribute to the department's teaching by serving as teaching assistants. Students may be asked to serve as teaching assistants for one course each year during tenure of their fellowships, with a maximum of three teaching assistant assignments per student.
Where appropriate, students are encouraged to seek personal fellowships from bodies such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health, for this brings distinction both to the student and the department. However, admission to the program is never contingent on students securing their own funds.