Graduate Student Employment and Aid
Financial support for graduate students
For the range of financial support offered to graduate students, please refer to Graduate Division Financial Aid. The primary form of support that students in the Economics Ph.D. program receive is through Teaching Assistant employment.
Teaching Assistant (TA) positions
TA positions are an important form of graduate student support and vital to the support of undergraduate programs. Assigning TAships is a delicate balance between these two basic needs. Students in years one through five of the Ph.D. program receive priority in the assignments of TA positions. For more details about allocation of positions, assignment of courses, description of duties and responsibilities, workload, and paychecks, see the Economics Ph.D. Graduate Student Handbook.
Teaching assistantships for master’s students
Depending on the number of available TAships and Ph.D. students, some TAships will be offered to M.S. students with excellent course records and course evaluations (if they are experienced TAs).
Employment as a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)
A graduate student researcher (GSR) assists with scholarly research under the direction and supervision of a faculty member. Students are chosen by individual faculty for their achievement and promise as creative scholars. GSRs must be fully enrolled as graduate students for each quarter they are employed. Under the tuition remission program, non-resident tuition and in-state fees for GSRs with a minimum 25% appointment will be funded.
Payroll
If you are a graduate student researcher or a teaching assistant, you must fill out important payroll paperwork from the Administrative Business Office. Each student will need to provide a document that establishes personal identity, such as a passport, Driver’s License, State ID card, or valid Student ID.
Each student will also need to provide a document that establishes employment eligibility, such as a U.S. Birth Certificate or Social Security Card. All non-citizen and non-resident alien students will have to have a Social Security Card and will also need to provide all visa and passport documentation, including the I-94 and I-20 forms.