A GPA of at least 3.1 is required to hold GSR or GSI appointments.

· Graduate Student Research Assistantships (GSR)

Research Assistantships are the usual means of support for M.S. students and for Ph.D. students for those terms in which they do not hold a formal GSI appointment. Duties of the GSR are to aid in the formulation, execution, and reporting of a research project. This project constitutes the thesis work done by the student to obtain an MS or a Ph.D. degree. The stipend for a GSR comes from contract or grant funds; hence, it is necessary that a student supported as a GSR pick a research topic that carries such funds.

· Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)

The duties of a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) are to aid in the instruction, conduct, and grading of a course. Normally this will involve attending the lectures for the course, setting aside 2 or 3 hours per week for consultation with students in the course, and assisting in the development and grading of homework problems and quizzes. In some cases, actual classroom instruction by the GSI may be expected. A GSI nominally is responsible for 20 hours per week for duties connected with the course; actual time requirements may be somewhat less or slightly more. The department regards experience as a GSI to be highly valuable to a student whether or not a teaching career is chosen. Because of this we require that all Ph.D. candidates serve as a GSI for a total of 2 semesters during their first 3 years (usually in semesters 3 and 6).

Related Site:
GSI Teaching and Resource Center