Ph.D. students in the Department of Chemistry are guaranteed financial support either as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) so long as you maintain satisfactory and timely progress in the program. While satisfactory progress involves many aspects of performance, it is minimally defined as maintenance of a minimum 3.0 ("B)" or better grade point average in all coursework, satisfactory written and spoken English and satisfactory performance in all teaching and research activities. The normative time to degree is four to six years.
Each candidate for the Ph.D. degree must serve the equivalent of three academic quarters in a 25% appointment as a TA. A student serving in a 50% TA appointment (the maximum allowed) will satisfy the requirement in two quarters. Stipends for students serving at one-quarter time as a TA may be supplemented by fellowships or research assistantships.
For every quarter you are a TA, you are to enroll in 2 units of CHE 390: Methods of Teaching Chemistry. You will be graded either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory" by the instructor of record based on how you carry out your TA responsibilities (as outlined in the General Job Description).