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How Graduate Studies Are Funded
Financial aid for graduate students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is available in the form of fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching assistantships.
Fellowships are the most common form of support for first year domestic students. These are provided by a number of sources, both within MIT and outside MIT. The Department has a limited number of graduate fellowships, most of which are offered to first year graduate students and most of which are restricted to U.S. citizens or citizens of certain other countries. One does not usually apply for a Departmental fellowship; rather, it is an honor conferred by the Department. Students are encouraged to apply for fellowships outside MIT, for which our students have an enviable record of success.
Research assistantships are the most common form of support for advanced students. This support is provided through the research contracts supervised by individual faculty members. Receipt of a research assistantship is negotiated between the student and individual faculty members.
Teaching assistantships are provided from the general MIT teaching funds and are administered by the Department Head through the Teaching Assignments Committee. The Department may choose to guarantee certain domestic applicants financial support through a teaching assistantship for all or part of their first two semesters. However, this offer is not extended to all students. Incoming students should read their letter of admission to determine if such support is guaranteed upon admission.
The Department uses great care in the admissions process to match the number of admitted students to the total number of expected assistantships and fellowships. Thus, it is hoped all students who are admitted will be able to find some form of support, either from an outside fellowship, a sponsoring company, a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship or an MIT administered fellowship. Due to the necessity of matching a large number of students with a limited number of sources of support, the Department cannot generally guarantee a specific form of support will be available, except in the case of selected entering students. Nonetheless, strong efforts are always made to locate sources of support for all needy students, with an outstanding record of success.
The MIT Registrar's Office has prepared a complete Schedule
of Fees (pdf) for 2007–2008. Graduate students'
cost for housing, food, books, medical insurance, and incidentals
vary greatly, depending on marital status, quality-of-life
expectations, and housing arrangements. MIT Admissions sends
newly admitted graduate students a financial planning guide
to help them make more precise estimates. ALL NEWLY ADMITTED
STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE A PRACTICAL
PLANNING GUIDE FROM THE MIT ADMISSIONS OFFICE.
Persons holding graduate student staff appointments as research or teaching assistants are expected to be regular full-time students registered for an advanced degree. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis, as for persons whose responsibilities for child rearing preclude full-time study. Such individuals may hold fractional appointments.
Briefly explained below are the stipends paid to fellows and the salaries paid to research assistants and teaching assistants, as well as the duties associated with each position. Stipends and salaries increase slightly each year.
Research Assistants
A research assistant works closely with a faculty supervisor and with other graduate students on a sponsored research project. An attractive feature of the research assistantship is that the work performed by the student is normally recognized as thesis research. Students seeking research assistantships must take the initiative in contacting faculty with whom they would like to work. Research assistantships are negotiated on an individual basis between the student and faculty member. The Department does not make these arrangements.
A research assistant is required to devote full time to the research project during normal working hours, with the exception of the time spent in scheduled lecture or laboratory classes for which the student is registered. The research assistant is entitled to a vacation of two weeks per calendar year. The vacation may be taken during academic recess periods. Specific details concerning work hours and duties and the scheduling of vacations should be arranged with the faculty supervisor.
The salary of a research assistant is payable on the last working day of each month. Federal
and State taxes will be withheld. A full tuition award and
health insurance award for the term is credited to the student's
account.
For doctoral candidates an increase in salary will follow successful completion
of the doctoral General Examination and the thesis proposal
presentation.
Persons holding this appointment normally register for 48 units per term. These include up to 36 subject units per term, including subjects taken as a "listener". The remainder of the 48 units are thesis credit. Normally, assistants will register only for thesis during the summer term, although some subjects may be taken. (see MIT's Summer Tuition Policy). A research assistant will be required to register for thesis during both regular terms and the summer term. These regulations will allow an assistant to advance toward a graduate degree at the same pace as a fellowship holder.
In most cases research assistants are encouraged to continue their research programs through the summer. However, in some instances, it may be beneficial for the assistant to accept summer employment outside the Institute, and, in rare instances, it may be appropriate for the assistant to transfer to the staff of the Office of Sponsored Programs, Draper Laboratory or the Lincoln Laboratory. In these latter cases, the summer work must be unrelated to the assistant's thesis research and approval for the transfer must be obtained from the Department Head (through the Departmental Committee on Graduate Students) and from the Dean of Engineering. The appropriate form is the "Thesis Release Form".
Teaching Assistants
A number of teaching assistantships are available during the fall and spring terms to students who desire teaching experience. Teaching assistants help the faculty in instructing in the classroom and laboratory, conducting tutorials, and in preparing lecture demonstrations.
Full time teaching assistants receive a monthly salary from which Federal and State
taxes are withheld. A full tuition award and health insurance
award for the term is credited to the student's account. The
net salary is larger than that of a research assistant because
teaching duties will not allow the student to advance at quite
as fast a pace as either a research assistant or fellowship
holder.
Teaching assistants are appointed by the Department. If you
wish to hold a teaching assistantship for the fall term (9/1/05-1/15/06),
you must request to do so by writing to the Graduate Admissions
Committee, Room 6-107, no later than August 1, or
for the spring term (1/16/06-5/31/06) no later than
December 15. The number of teaching assistantships is limited.
A student should seek out research assistantships or fellowships
in case all available teaching assistantships are taken.
Teaching assistants may register for a maximum of 27 units of academic credit per term, including thesis credit.
Teaching assistants may receive academic credit for their participation in a teaching program depending on the nature of the involvement. The teaching assistant may register for 12 units per term of "Teaching Materials Science and Engineering" (Subjects 3.691-3.699), in addition to the 27 units mentioned above. For such participation in teaching a maximum credit of 12 units towards the Master's degree or 24 units towards the Engineer's degree requirements may be allowed.
Fellowships
The Department awards a limited number of fellowships, mostly
awarded for one or two terms. These fellowships carry, in
most cases, a stipend plus a full tuition
award and health insurance award for the period of the fellowship.
Where the amount of the supporting grant is inadequate to
cover the stipend, it is appropriate for
the advisor to supplement the fellowship to that level if
research funds are available. Taxes are not withheld but the
fellowship amount is taxable.
Fellows are expected to carry a normal load (36 units or
more) of course work, including thesis, during the regular
terms. Fellowships are occasionally renewed, but seldom beyond
the second or third term, whereupon the student will normally
be supported by a research assistantship.
Singapore-MIT Alliance Graduate Fellowships
The Department participates in an education and research
collaboration with the National University of Singapore and
the Nanyang Technological University. Participants in this
program earn a Master's of Engineering degree in Materials
Science and Engineering from MIT and either a Master's or
a Ph.D. degree from the National University of Singapore in
Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano-Systems. Fellowship
recipients receive full tuition, stipend and travel support.
To learn more about the SMA collaboration, please see the
Singapore-MIT Alliance website;
further fellowship and application information
is also available.
Other Sources of Financial Aid
For further information concerning financial assistance, refer to Chapter IV in the Courses and Degree Program Issue of the MIT Bulletin.
Outside Employment
Normally the assigned duties, together with the allowed classroom registration, will command the full-time attention of the graduate student staff member. As a result, students holding these appointments normally are not allowed to accept outside employment. In those very rare cases when it is appropriate for the student to seek limited employment beyond the appointment, explicit permission must be obtained from both the project supervisor and the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Graduate Students.
Participation of the graduate student in the advisor's outside professional activities may be mutually advantageous. Advance approval by the department head is required.
International students will a full time Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship cannot apply for other employment.
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