CSE Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance - Overview

Below is a list of some of the avenues for graduate students to obtain financial support. This support is administered by, or in coordination with, the University of Connecticut's Computer Science & Engineering Department. Awards are normally made in March, so students desiring financial aid are encouraged to submit their applications early.

University Predoctoral Fellowships

University Predoctoral Fellowships are awarded by the Graduate School on recommendation of the degree program concerned. Students must intend to earn the Ph.D. and have demonstrated the ability to complete a doctoral program; they may be in the M.S. program at the time of the award. Awards vary in amount and do not carry any requirement for teaching or other duties.

Graduate Assistantships

The stipends for graduate assistants, both teaching and research, are graduated in terms of progress to the advanced degree and experience. The rates for nine months (2001-02) are as follows:

$15,455 for graduate assistants with at least a bachelor's degree
$16,266 for experienced graduate assistants with at least a master's degree or its equivalent
$18,007 for experienced graduate assistants who have passed the Ph.D. General Examination

Full-time graduate assistants are eligible for a waiver of tuition but not of the General University Fee and other fees. Full-time graduate assistants are assigned to 20 hours of work per week associated with teaching and/or research (depending on the source of funds) during the academic year beginning a week before the first day of classes.

Lecturers

Appointments as lecturers are similar to those of graduate assistants, except that they do not include tuition waiver and fringe benefits. They are more flexible in regard to the amount of work required and the stipend.

Taylor L. Booth Graduate Fellowship - Eligibility

Open to all students currently in the graduate degree program in Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Connecticut who intend to pursue a faculty career at an American university upon completion of their Ph.D. here.

Application Procedure

Each candidate should submit an application letter detailing their career goals and emphasizing their experience and contributions as a teacher. A faculty member who has supervised the candidate's teaching should provide a detailed letter of support. The candidate's major advisor should also provide a letter of support which describes the candidate's research accomplishments and future potential as a faculty member.

All application and support letters should be sent to: Professor Reda A. Ammar
Computer Science & Engineering Department
371 Fairfield Road, Unit 2155
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-2155
reda@engr.uconn.edu Timeline
Application Deadline: March 25
Official Award Announcement: March 27
Effective Date: September 1

Amount of Award - $1,000.00

Past Recipients

Year	Recipient	Current Affiliation
2001	Elazhary, Hanan	University of Connecticut

1999	Smarkusky, Deb	University of Connecticut

1998	Jung-Jin Lee	University of Connecticut

1997	No Award This Year

1996	Lisa Lancor	Southern Connecticut State University

1995	Brian Mackay	University of Connecticut

1994	Karl Wurst	Worcester State College

1993	Carolyn Pe Rosiene	University of Hartford

1992	Heidi Ellis	Rensselaer at Hartford

1991	Joel Rosiene	Analysis and Technology, Inc.

1990	Barbara Cuthill	National Institute of Standards and Technology

1989	Joan Peckham	University of Rhode Island

1988	Bonnie MacKellar	Western Connecticut State University

Other Employment Opportunities

In addition to graduate assistantships and fellowships, full-time or part-time appointments with the University Information Technology Services are also available. These appointments are administered by the Computer Center. Further information may be obtained from the UITS site^*.

Availability of Support

A very large number of applications for financial aid are received each year. It is, therefore, not possible to offer aid to all students who are admitted to the program. Students who have received aid in the past have usually met the following minimal requirements:

A B.S. in Computer Science or Computer Engineering or a very strong minor in those fields.
A strong undergraduate academic record.
Strong recommendations from faculty members who are aware of the Computer Science and Engineering background and capabilities of the applicant.
For recipients of teaching assistantships, adequate English proficiency.

Normal financial aid is not awarded to an international student before the completion of one year of satisfactory performance in this graduate program. Exceptions are sometimes made if the student is in the U.S. and holds his or her highest degree from a U.S. university or college, or if there is an opportunity for a personal interview with a faculty member.

Additional material for financial aid from the Graduate School is available online.

Continuation and Renewal

All graduate assistantships and fellowships are awarded on the basis of the academic year stated in the award letter to the student. Reappointment in succeeding years is dependent upon availability of funds, and performance of the graduate assistant or fellow academically as well as in his or her assigned work. In past years, students who have performed well have not had difficulty in obtaining continued support. Normally an M.S. student will only receive support for two years unless very special circumstances warrant a third year of support. It is expected that a student will not accept any other employment during the period of the assistantship or fellowship.