The award of financial assistance in the form of TA/RA by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is dependent upon department needs and the availability of funding. Within these limits, aid is offered to those students who, in the estimation of the Department Faculty, hold greatest promise of being successful graduate students. At each stage of the student's career the criteria for this evaluation change, and there is no implied promise of continued support unless the appropriate criteria are met. The assistantships offered as financial aid provide the student with a stipend and tuition remission.
An entering student is evaluated on the basis of previous academic performance (e.g., grade point average and graduate record examination), industrial performance, professional recommendations, and in keeping with the academic needs of the Department. The usual mode of support for such students is as a Teaching Assistant (TA). The number of these awards is limited and the competition is severe. It falls upon many capable and eligible students to support themselves until, and if, support becomes available at a later point of their studies. TA's are selected by the ECE Graduate Committee. While it is less common, an entering student may obtain support as a Research Assistant (RA); RA's are appointed upon recommendation of individual Research Faculty.
At the end of the first year of full-time graduate studies, a reevaluation is made of each student applicant for aid, for purposes of establishing priorities for appointment or reappointment the following year. Considerations include academic grades, performance as a TA or as an RA, faculty evaluation of aptitude for and attitude toward graduate research, performance in research, etc.
Beyond the second year of full-time graduate studies, no financial aid is given unless the student has indicated that he/she intends to continue for the Ph.D. degree. This is generally done by applying to take, or having passed the Doctoral Candidacy Examination (see below). Mature students who have passed the Candidacy Exam can qualify for appointment as Teaching Fellows, with enhanced responsibilities and stipend.
The Faculty of the ECE Department recognize that many students are capable of excelling in graduate work, and that continued attendance in graduate school is often contingent upon receipt of some form of aid. Limits on research funds and teaching budgets means that many who are deserving of financial assistance must be denied aid. While every effort is made to support deserving and needy student, it should be understood that denial of an initial application for aid implies a low priority for the individual involved. This carries into successive years as well, and it is incumbent upon such individuals to prove that the initial evaluation was incorrect.
TA Stipend
Starting
Fall 2007, full time Teaching Assistants will receive a stipend
of $1,900/month along with full tuition.
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