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Research and Teaching Assistantships

Students in the Department of Biology are typically supported through departmental teaching assistantships or through research assistantships from individual faculty. The current 9-month stipend for Teaching Assistants is $22,000 for students in the Ph.D. program and $20,000 for students in the M.S. program. Stipend amounts for Research Assistants are determined by the sponsoring faculty member. Students with either type of assistantship also receive a tuition waiver (covering both in-state and out-of-state tuition) and subsidized health insurance.

To qualify for assistantships, the applicant must be admitted to the graduate program in the Department of Biology. All components of the application (statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, letter of support from Major Advisor, GPA, GRE scores) are used by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) to determine eligibility for assistantships. These assistantships are competitive and the Department of Biology recommends that applicants have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and/or a strong research background to qualify.

Summer teaching assistantships supplement 9-month stipends and are usually available on a competitive basis for up to two months. Summer stipend depends on teaching loads and responsibilities. Students may also compete for summer research assistantships.

Visit the University of Mississippi Graduate School website concerning Fellowships and Travel Grants that are also available.