Financial Assistance
Since the program expects full-time participation in doctoral studies, research, and teaching, each student is admitted with a combination of graduate assistantships and fellowships. For the nine-month academic year, these assistantships include a monthly stipend and a tuition allowance that generally covers all tuition. PhD candidate are also offered the opportunity to teach during the summer for additional support. Depending on availability and student interest, the graduate assistantships include both teaching and research opportunities. The details of financial support vary from year to year, and are spelled out in writing for each candidate when they are offered admission to the program. There is particular interest in recruiting candidates who are eligible for university fellowships (see http://www.grad.msu.edu/prospect.htm and http://www.finaid.msu.edu/grad.asp for additional details).