Graduate Student Support

Chemistry & Biochemistry

GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT

I. General Information

Financial support is available for full-time Ph.D. students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry who make adequate progress toward their degree and are in good academic standing. Continuing students beyond the first semester of study are required to join a research group (that has been approved by the department chair), and to maintain satisfactory performance as teaching assistants (if supported by a teaching assistantship). In addition to teaching assistantships, financial support for Ph.D. students may be provided in the form of research assistantships or fellowships.
All international teaching assistants (ITAs) are required to meet University and departmental English language competency requirements, as evaluated through the UDIA and SPEAK assessments. International students are required to obtain Category III or better rating through ELI testing before they can serve as ITAs for our department.
Student summer stipend support typically comes from faculty grants, training grants, teaching assistantships or department sources.
In certain instances, Ph.D. students may have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants during summer or winter sessions. Students wishing to be considered for a teaching position in the summer or winter must have the approval of their faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Ph.D. students working with research advisors that hold primary academic appointments outside the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have a lower priority for support through the department. The availability for department support in such instances is reviewed by the Chair on a case-by-case basis.
Placement of graduate students in research groups should try to ensure that each student spends no more than four semesters as a teaching assistant during his/her graduate career. Therefore, faculty accepting new graduate students into her/his research group should have a credible plan to support these students by a research assistantship beyond the four-semester period.

Expand for information on eligibility for funding.

II. Eligibility for Funding: Making Adequate Progress

In order to be eligible for financial support, a graduate student must make adequate progress toward his/her degree. The Graduate Curriculum Committee in consultation with the thesis advisor will determine prior to the start of each semester whether a student is making adequate progress. This evaluation is based upon the following criteria.
A minimum of 15 credit hours toward the departmental course requirement should be completed by the end of the second semester of study. The departmental course requirement should be fulfilled by the end of the fourth semester of study. The student must maintain a grade point average of 3.00 in courses taken to fulfill the departmental course requirement.
Students should join a research group or training grant program by the end of the first semester of study. Students who subsequently leave a research group or training grant program should join a new group/program within one months of leaving the previous group/program. A student that is unable to join a new research group or training grant program within the specified time, may be recommended to switch to the department’s M.A. program.
The "Recommendation for Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree" form should be submitted to the department and Office of Graduate Studies by no later than the end of the fifth semester of study.
A student's progress in thesis research should be such that submission of a dissertation by the end of five years (Ph.D.) or three years (M.S.) of study is feasible. Evaluation of the student's research progress is made by the thesis advisor in consultation with the Ph.D. Advisory Committee.

III. Eligibility for Funding: Academic Standing

To be eligible for financial support, a graduate student must be in good academic standing. This is a university requirement. To remain in good academic standing, a graduate student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or greater in all coursework including research and dissertation.
Students who fail to maintain a 3.00 grade point average will be issued an Academic Warning or will be placed on Academic Probation depending upon the severity of the issue. First year students issued an Academic Warning may request continued support for one semester at the university minimum rate. This request will be evaluated by the department on a case-by-case basis. Students placed on Academic Probation are generally ineligible for financial support.
Academic standing and other university requirements are discussed in the "Academic and Registration Regulations" section of the Graduate Catalog. Graduate students should become familiar with all university policies that influence their appointments as research or teaching assistants, such as academic honesty, registration requirements, and attendance regulations.

IV. Eligibility for Instructional Funding: Prior Performance

All teaching assistants in the department are evaluated at the end of each semester by faculty or instructional staff. Student evaluations may also be collected. If a student’s performance as a teaching assistant’s is deemed to be lacking, that student may be considered ineligible for future TA support.

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