Doctoral Assistantships

Most full-time doctoral students are awarded assistantships that provide a combination of tuition remission and a stipend in exchange for providing services supporting the mission of the Warner School of Education. Opportunities include:

• Full assistantships:  Requiring 15-20 hours per week, and including a full-tuition waiver.
• Partial assistantships: Requiring 5-10 hours per week, and waiving a percentage of the tuition proportional to the hours assigned.

All assistantships include stipends, which are determined based on the number of hours of service assigned.

Full-time PhD students that are participating in a full assistantship (15+ hour/week) will have their health insurance covered by the University.

Doctoral assistantships are intended to provide not only financial support, but also invaluable learning experiences for students – helping them build their resumes and be more competitive upon graduation. Therefore, our doctoral assistantships are designed to contribute to the preparation of future education scholars and leaders, by providing opportunities to:

• Perform supervised teaching responsibilities, which may include a range of supportive roles in a course taught by a Warner faculty member or being the main course instructor under the mentoring and oversight of a faculty member. This can also include supervisory responsibilities of students engaging in internships, or interacting with K-12 students in some of our outreach programs or other instruction-related responsibilities.
• Play a supporting role in research projects conducted by faculty members, whether or not they are supported by an external grant. This may include a variety of responsibilities depending on the nature of the project, as well as the preparation and background of the research assistant.
• Participate in a supporting role in other projects and operations of relevance in preparing for a faculty or leadership role within a college or university (such as institutional research, admissions, external relations, mentorship/support of new students, etc.) or other advanced career opportunities within your chosen field.

Decisions regarding doctoral student support are made at the time of admission and will be included in the offer letter (although the specific assignment will not). These award offers are typically guaranteed for three years, assuming good academic progress, and in many cases can be extended for additional years.

The best doctoral applicants each year will also be automatically selected during the admissions process to compete for one of these prestigious University-wide fellowships:

• Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull University Fellowships: These four-year fellowships are awarded each year to 10-12 incoming doctoral students with exceptional academic credentials and talent in research, in disciplines throughout the University.
• Provost’s Fellowships: These four-year fellowships are intended to attract talented members of underrepresented groups, who intend to pursue careers in university teaching and research, to Rochester’s doctoral programs.