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What
is a Graduate Assistantship?
It is a job that pays tuition and a stipend. The responsibilities
are either to do research or to help teach (Research and Teaching
Assistantships – RA and TA).
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What
are the duties of Graduate Assistants?
RAs and TAs are appointments that expect continuous participation
over the course of their duration, for example, from September
1 to May 30. They do not simply follow the schedule of classes.
It is important to understand that Graduate Assistants are expected
to work during periods when classes are not in session –
just as faculty and other research staff do.
At the discretion
of the research or teaching supervisors, graduate assistants may
take holidays provided that they make arrangements to make up
the work time that is missed while absent from their employment.
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How
many hours a week is a Graduate Assistant expected to work?
Graduate Assistants normally work around 25 to 30 hours a week
on their research and teaching. This level tends to vary, being
higher for persons working on their theses and lower for persons
starting out on a project. Teaching assistants will find that
they work at a high level during the time when classes are given,
but little when they are not.
In general,
MIT is a high-intensity environment, which is what it takes to
be at the leading edge. Thus the faculty expectations of themselves,
of full-time students (45 to 50 units of classes) and of graduate
assistants are high.
Note however,
that for the purposes of visa regulations, the nominal work load
for a graduate assistant is labeled as 20 hours/week. This is
presumably because the Government considers that 40 hours/week
is a full-time load. However, the reality on the ground is different.
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How
many credit units may I take if I do have a Graduate Assistantship
or Teaching Assistantship?
This number is limited. The principle is that students must leave
room for the work for which they are getting paid.
Each Department
or equivalent unit at MIT sets its own rules for the limitation
on the number of units. For ESD, these limits are:
- RAs and
TAs may register for up to 54 units/year, including up to 33
units/semester without petitioning the graduate committee, and
may petition to take up to a maximum of 36 units in one semester
- The average
number of units/semester over the student's graduate program
must not exceed 27
- Units
for thesis do not count as part of the total
If the student
is on a part-time assistantship, these numbers can be prorated
with the agreement of the supervisor.
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How
many credit units may I take if I do not have a Graduate Assistantship
or Teaching Assistantship?
You
may take a “full load” which is normally considered
to be around 45 to 50 MIT units of subjects. [Note: 3 MIT units
correspond to I unit at most North American universities.] Some
people may take more if they have particularly good backgrounds
in the basics for their subjects. Others may find themselves fully
loaded with fewer units, for example if they are not used to taking
classes in English, have been away from school for many years,
or are studying new material.
Students
should consult with their advisors to discuss this issue.
Note
that the perspective of the International
Student Office (ISO) is shaped by visa regulations. They require
foreign students to take a “full load” but, in this
context, the number of total units is considerably less (around
30, but consult with ISO for exact details).
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Does
ESD offer financial assistance?
Please see FAQs
about Admissions to ESD's S.M. and Ph.D. Programs
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October 2005
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