Graduate Microbiology Program
Financial Information
Cost of Graduate Study
For current information on tuition and fees, please reference the
University Registrar website. In 2004-2005, all of the microbiology graduate students were provided assistantships through research grants, the graduate program, or teaching assistantships. Similar levels of support are expected for 2005-2006. All applicants will be considered for a fellowship or an assistantship. And while most students in Interdepartmental Microbiology receive some form of financial support, the amount, source of the support, and responsibilities associated with it, vary from situation to situation.
Students entering directly may be awarded a research assistantship (RA) funded by Interdepartmental Microbiology during their first year; thus, for these students, the amount of the stipend for the first year is usually determined by the IM program. Stipends for students supported by the faculty are determined by the faculty, but must be above the minimum stipend set by the IM program.
Benefits
Benefits for ISU students on ISU stipend include fully paid health insurance, Workman's Compensation, sick leave of 1.5 days per month, vacation of 2 days per month cumulative to 48 days and eligibility for ISU Credit Union membership.
Assistantships and Fellowships in Microbiology
As typically arranged by the faculty, some students may be awarded a teaching assistantship (TA). The responsibilities associated with your stipends depend on whether you have an RA or a TA. More complete information about TA and RA support is available in the Graduate College Handbook.
Assistantships are available as Interdepartmental Microbiology Program (IM) Graduate Research Assistantships, IM Graduate Teaching Assistantships, ISU Biotechnology Graduate Fellowships, Premium for Academic Excellence (PACE) awards, and Plant Science Institute (PSI) Fellowships.
Research Assistantships (RA) are funded from faculty grants or contracts.
When funded from this source the student will work with the faculty member to
whom the grant was awarded. Beginning stipends vary among departments, but
average about $1400-1600 per month.
Teaching Assistantships (TA) are funded from the teaching budgets of the
Microbiology undergraduate major or participating departments.
Biotechnology Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to students with appropriate interests. They also allow for first year rotations and pay essentially the same as a RA.
Graduate College Fellowships pay a stipend of $19,000 for the first year
and allow an incoming student to do rotations through several faculty labs
before choosing a professor for degree work. Students with strong scholastic records and high GRE scores may qualify for a PACE (Premium for ACademic Excellence) Award, which pays all tuition the first year of study.
Plant Science Institute (PSI) Fellowships are a competitively awarded fellowship which will pay a stipend of $22,500 for twelve months, tuition paid for four years, guaranteed support for four years, and nine months to spend time in up to three research laboratories before choosing a professor for degree work.
For further information about research or support contact
microbiology@iastate.edu or any
IM participating faculty member.
