Research Assistants

Research assistants (RAs) work with faculty on academic and research projects, both at the University and in the field. These positions are awarded to new as well as continuing students. More than any other type of support, RAs are tied to grant-related funding and are thus administered independently by each department. For more information, students should contact their department’s director of graduate study.

The time devoted to being a RA should not generally exceed an average of twenty hours per week, unless the research being conducted is integral to an RA’s research. In such cases, the twenty-hour limit does not apply. In departments where the workload varies significantly between research projects, every attempt is made to balance out the workload among available RAs.

An RA’s financial award includes a stipend, tuition, health insurance, and health services fee. Appointments are made on an annual or semester basis on the recommendation of the department. Double work appointments are not allowed.