1. All Ph.D. graduate students are assured support for five years of study, contingent on satisfactory progress in the program. Such support includes the annual stipend (set each year by the faculty) and full payment of tuition and fees. Support may be provided in the form of a fellowship, traineeship, teaching assistantship, research assistantship or a combination of these, depending on student qualifications and the availability of funds.
    Students studying for a Master degree are not guaranteed support. However, the department has an outstanding track record of providing Master students with teaching assistantships.

2. During the first year of study, students are supported with a twelve month award. This can be in the form of a fellowships, a traineeship, a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship or a combination of these.

3. During the second year, students are generally supported in both semesters of the academic year by teaching assistantships, unless they have alternate support in the form of a fellowship, traineeship or research assistantship.

4. Beginning in the summer of the second year, if a student is not supported by a traineeship or fellowship, she/he is generally supported as a research assistant with funds derived from the research grants of her/his major professor. Such support includes payment of the stipend and of "research" tuition and fees. In those cases where the student must enroll in course work, and thus have additional tuition costs, the difference is paid from departmental funds.

5. In the event that a major professor is unable or unwilling to provide a research assistantship, the student will be offered a teaching assistantship on a semester by semester basis (Fall, Spring and Summer) until such time that other funding becomes available.

6. In the case where a student holds a fellowship or traineeship that provides partial payment of the stipend and/or tuition and fees, the supplement will be paid from teaching funds, with the student's teaching responsibilities being commensurate with the amount of the supplement. If, in order to hold such fellowship/traineeship, the student is restricted from assuming teaching responsibilities, the award is supplemented with departmental funds.

7. Support for students in the sixth year and above is dependent on the availability of departmental teaching funds or of research funds from the major professor.

8. The potential number of years of support remaining for a student who has obtained a Master's degree, or switched from a Master's degree program to our Ph.D. program, will be determined by the Graduate Committee at the time the student enters the Ph.D. program after evaluation of the student's status with regard to fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.