Most students serve as a teaching assistant (TA) at some point during their graduate career. Frequently, TAs either help with a large lecture course, or have their own small discussion section(s) of a course. Some advanced graduate students are the instructor of record, teaching their own course independently. In addition, some teaching assistants provide support to the department in other ways like working with departmental administration on tasks to benefit the department. TA positions provide tuition waivers, stipends, and access to health insurance in exchange for 10, 15, or 20 hours per week of work. TAs are members of the GEU-UAW bargaining unit and covered by the collective bargaining agreement.

Students often work as research assistants (RAs) on specific faculty research projects. Sometimes these RAs require special skills – for instance, interviewing, data analysis, or language fluency. Generally, faculty with research grants for assistantships work with the department to identify appropriate students. Like TA positions, RA positions provide tuition waivers, stipends, and access to health insurance in exchange for 10, 15, or 20 hours per week of work, and these students are members of the GEU-UAW bargaining unit.

The Crandall Fellowship (CF) is available to outstanding young scholars who have been admitted to master’s programs at the University. This fellowship usually begin in students’ first year of graduate study, continue for two years, and Departments may couple the fellowship with a partial or full assistantship. Additional information regarding UConn fellowships can be found on The Graduate School’s Internal Fellowships Awards page.