Graduate research assistants are paid a stipend set by the Graduate School and, in some cases, their research advisor. Stipend payments are issued bi-weekly and generally increase as you progress toward your degree and submit the required forms. Supported graduate students must be enrolled for nine credits each semester during the academic year and one credit in the summer, with tuition paid directly by the department or research grant. Tuition charges in excess of these values will be your responsibility, along with student voted fees and late registration fees.
Financial support awards are typically made at the time of admission. This process is highly competitive and not all qualified candidates can be supported due to limitations on available funds. The terms of the funding are described in the offer letter and may differ from student to student.
The workload expectations that are in line with Graduate School policy suggest 20 hrs/week for research effort. However, the student should be aware that the total time required to conclude the program of research is not known at the beginning of the project and the total number of months required to reach the conclusion of a thesis or dissertation may be inversely proportional to weekly hours invested in the research effort.
Graduate research assistants are expected to work full time on their research and studies. Graduate students supported financially by the MSE department may not be on the payroll of other departments. If this procedure is not followed, you will be billed for the tuition charges incurred.
Graduate students are required to enroll in the Michigan Tech graduate student health insurance program or provide proof of comparable insurance coverage. Financially supported students receive partial support toward their health insurance cost. More information about health insurance and health care can be found in Human Resources. Questions regarding health insurance coverage can be addressed to the MSE department representative to the Graduate Student Government or to Human Resources.