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Eberly College of Arts & Sciences Department of Physics and Astronomy
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Financial Information and Resources

Graduate Student Handbook

Below, find information related to financial information and resources for graduate students in the department related to assistantships, fellowships, and other financial considerations.

Graduate Scholarships and Awards

Assistantships

Graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University are provided an assistantship based on available resources. Included with each assistantship is a  complete waiver of tuition. Graduate assistants only pay university and college fees, which cover services like the Recreation Center, Health Services, libraries, transportation, and more.  Summer support in the form of a graduate research or teaching assistantship is usually available.  First-year graduate students usually receive a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA), though advanced students may be considered for Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA) provided by individual faculty members.

Teaching Assistantships (TAs)

TAs are expected to spend no more than twenty hours per week teaching undergraduate laboratories and grading for lecture courses, e.g., teaching three sections of introductory physics laboratory and help with grading in the larger lecture sections.

International students working as TAs are also required to meet minimum English language proficiency requirements in order to teach. Please consult WVU ELLI for information regarding these minimums.

Research Assistantships (RAs)

RAs are awarded by individual professors to students who have decided on their field of research. RAs are expected to spend no more than twenty hours per week in a research capacity. The pay is generally slightly more than for a TA. Although students typically become RAs in their second or third year, students who advance rapidly into research may begin RA appointments sooner.

Typical Workload Expectations

Graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy navigate between research and assistantships. It is crucial to remember the workload expectations for a full-time graduate assistant:
  • Teaching/Research Assistantship: 20 hours/week
  • Coursework (9 credits or more): Approximately 20 hours/week
As a reminder, these are federally-enforced restrictions on the number of hours per week an international student can work in graduate assistant positions.  Learn more from WVU Tax Services.

Fellowships

University-wide competitive fellowships are available. Applicants for the fellowships from physics must be nominated by the department; students may not apply directly. The  Department of Physics and Astronomy will select nominees for these fellowships from the set of applications it has received prior to January 1. GRE scores and U.S. citizenship are used as selection criteria.

Please contact the Chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee, Dr. Ned Flagg, for more information.

Indigenous Skies Fellowship University Fellowships

Supplemental Assistance

Questions?

Contact your advisor or a member of the administrative staff:  Viola Bryant (Administrative Assistant), Vicki Snively (Grant Administrator), or Miranda Heitz (Academic Program Assistant II).


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