Funding and Support

PhD Program Financial Support

Admitted, well-qualified Ph.D. students are commonly offered a teaching assistantship (TA) with a stipend of $23,000 the first year ($9,250 fall + $9,250 spring + $4,500 Summer). Optical Science and Engineering Ph.D. students with assistantships are eligible to receive the Graduate School’s Graduate Assistant Support Plan (GASP) benefits package which covers the cost of tuition and health insurance for up to 5 years. Student fees are not covered by GASP and are the responsibility of the student. Ph.D. students typically transition, about a year into the program, from the TA to a research assistantship (RA) with a faculty member who advises and mentors the student’s research and progress toward their doctoral degree.