This section covers Research Assistantships (RA) and Teaching Assistantships (TA).
How RA/TA awards are made:
The Admissions Committee makes decisions on support each spring for incoming students. Decisions are based on a combination of factors: prior experience, computing knowledge, grades, GRE scores, English ability, and letters of recommendation. While we try to offer support to as many qualified applicants as possible, we always have a limited number of positions to work with and must sometimes admit qualified students without an offer of support.
What an offer means:
An offer of RA support means that the department will provide a 20-hour/week position under the direction of a Biostatistics faculty researcher (usually on a 12-month basis) so long as the student maintains satisfactory progress in the program, for up to three years as a Master’s student and up to five years as a PhD student.
An offer of TA support means that the department will provide a 20-hour/week position under the direction of a Biostatistics course instructor on a quarterly basis. After the first year, the student will review his or her interests with the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) and/or Student Services Counselor (SSC) to determine whether they wish to continue as a TA or would prefer RA experience. Either way, the offer of support will remain in place for up to three as a Master’s student and up to five years as a PhD student so long as the student performs adequately on their RA/TA appointment and maintains satisfactory progress in the program
Both RA and TA appointments pay a monthly stipend (with annual cost-of-living increase), tuition waiver, and health insurance coverage.
The student’s obligation:
A student supported on an RA or TA is obligated to provide 220 hours of service per quarter for a 50% appointment or 110 hours per quarter for a 25% appointment, and to maintain good standing in the program. Students are expected to maintain good work ethics as in any other type of employment. Students with 20-hour positions must register for full-time study throughout their appointment. Full-time graduate study is ten credits for Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters, and two credits for Summer. Students are expected to serve for the entire term of their appointment.
Students may not accept any additional UW appointments or
employment
without receiving the prior approval of the Graduate Program
Coordinator.
Leave policies:
The Department makes every effort to match up the right student with the right RA. Each spring we review the RA positions available, the requirements for each one (level of experience, software knowledge needed, etc), and the interests of the students. An RA is viewed first as employment; i.e., a way to help the student financially. If we can also match an RA with a specific student’s area of interest, we consider this a bonus.
The standard procedure is to send copies of student application files and transcripts to an RA supervisor, and if the supervisor is interested in the student, to have them meet to discuss the position further. If both parties feel the RA will work out, hiring details are arranged via the Student Services Counselor and Payroll Coordinator.
How TA openings are matched up with students:
TA openings for our service courses are generally matched with senior student. For other courses, we maintain a list of students who have expressed interest in becoming (or continuing as) a TA, and try to match them to openings based on their grades in the pertinent coursework and the students’ specific interests.
Priority for appointments:
Students who have been guaranteed support will be matched up first. Once all students with guaranteed support are placed, we work to find positions for any unsupported students who wish to have an RA or TA.
How RA positions become available:
Biostatistics Department policy is to have faculty members who have an RA position available contact either the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) and/or the Student Services Counselor (SSC) with a description of the position. Available positions are then advertised on the department’s RA and TA opportunities website via this link. The GPC and SSC will forward resumes for all students who apply to the faculty member, who will then decide which student(s) they wish to discuss the RA with further.
Students should not contact Biostatistics Department faculty members (including affiliate faculty at FHCRC) directly about potential RAs. Students who do not have an offer of support from the Department may contact faculty or other potential supervisors outside the department about RA positions.
Turning down an offer:
If a student voluntarily declines or withdraws from an offer of support, the Department is no longer obligated to provide support. This does not mean the Department won't try to find support for such students; we will continue to make such efforts but with a lesser priority.
In rare circumstances, a student may wish to decline or withdraw from an RA or TA for legitimate reasons. These cases will be reviewed by the GPC and SSC on a case-by-case basis. In the event the GPC/SSC determine the student has a valid reason for leaving the position, the department will not withdraw its support obligation to that student.
How appointments are renewed:
The SSC reviews each student’s source of support each quarter. As an RA nears its appointment end-date, the SSC contacts the supervisor to arrange for the position to be advertised on the departmental web site. The incumbent will need to reapply for the position to continue in it; he or she may also apply for any other positions that are open at the time. If an RA or TA will not be renewed (usually due to the project ending or other budget reasons), the SSC will work to find a new appointment for the student.
Changing an appointment:
Students who want to change their RA or TA appointment at the end of the current term of appointment for any reason should first contact their RA supervisor to discuss the situation. We can try to accommodate changes that involve thesis/dissertation work (e.g., a student’s thesis advisor has RA money available for the student to work on the thesis). All changes from one RA to another or from an RA to a TA (or vice versa) need to be discussed on a case-by-case basis between the current supervisor (for RAs), academic advisor (for TAs) , student, and GPC/SSC. Only in exeptional cases will a student be released from an appointment prior to the end date specified in the letter of appointment.
Supplemental RA/TA appointments:
Students on traineeships often have supplemental (10-hour/week) RA or TA appointments to help them cover the costs of study that are not covered by their training grant. The policies above also apply to these appointments with the exception of remuneration. Supplemental appointments pay a monthly stipend, but do not cover any portion of tuition or health insurance.
Stipend rates and increases:
The Graduate School determines RA and TA stipend rates. Both RAs and TAs are referred to by the Graduate School as “Graduate Service Appoinments” (“GSAs”).
There are three basic appointment levels that we use:
The only other pay increases are annual cost-of-living increases, which are determined by the State Legislature and take effect on July 1st of each year. In the past, these increases have been in the 3-4% range.
In addition to appointment levels, the Graduate School allows some flexibility in pay rates by using “Schedule 1”, “Schedule 2”, and “Schedule 3” designations within the RA/TA, PDRA1/PDTA1, and PDRA2/PDTA2 categories. The Schedule 1 pay rate is used for students who have tuition waivers. The Schedule 2 pay rate is for students who have 10-hour appointments with no other source of support, and Schedule 3 is for students on 20-hour appointments who do not have tuition waivers.
Biostatistics Department policy is to pay supplemental RA/TA appointments (where full or partial tuition waivers are included with the primary appointment) at the Schedule 1 rate.
Residency:
It is important for U.S. citizens to establish Washington State residency after their first year here so that the department will not have to cover out-of-state tuition rates. Information on establishing residency may be found on the Web at: http://www.washington.edu/students/reg/residency.html
Fred Hutchinson appointments:
For RAs that are paid by the FHCRC, it is easier for us to have them hire the student directly and have the student present tuition and health insurance bills to the FHCRC rather than do an appointment through the UW. This is the preferred hiring method for in-state residents.
For international students and non-Washington State residents with FHCRC appointments, our budget office prepares “Staff Assignments” so that we can arrange payment through the UW system. Staff assignments operate the same as a regular RA, with tuition/health insurance paid for through the UW system, not by the student.
FAQ
FHCRC = Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center (also called
“the Hutch”)
GPC = Graduate Program Coordinator
GSA = Graduate Student Service Appointment
(synonymous with
RA/TA)
PDRA1 = Predoctoral Research Assistantship 1
PDRA2 = Predoctoral Research Assistantship 2
PI = Principal Investigator (main faculty researcher
on a grant)
RA = Research Assistantship
TA = Teaching Assistantship
SSC = Student Services Counselor
50% appointment = 20 hours/week
25% appointment = 10 hours/week