Financial Support

MIT makes financial support available to graduate students from a variety of sources and in several different forms as: fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. A number of students come to MIT with external fellowships sponsored through several different funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or through industrial fellowships. Students must apply for these national fellowships, which are awarded on a competitive basis. The Department of Physics encourages prospective students to explore all sources of aid available outside MIT. In certain cases, these fellowships are supplemented by departmental appointments.

Internally, the department offers Research Assistantships (RA), Teaching Assistantships (TA), Fellowships, and RA/TA combinations. All forms of support include tuition and stipend.

Graduate assistantships are full-time positions. Students so appointed are expected to spend full time on education and assigned duties and may not engage in any other activity for compensation without the specific approval of the Department Head. Graduate assistants are required to register for an academic load of 36-48 units (including Special Problems or Physics Thesis) during any term in which they have any form of MIT or Departmental support. In addition to course work, students doing research should always register for 12-48 units of special problems (8.391, 8.392) according to the approximate number of hours per week spent on research. This gives the student credit for research work. Teaching assistants may register for 12-48 units of Physics Teaching (8.399). In this way, TAs also receive credit for teaching.

An RA supports a student doing research in a specific research group. The funds for RAs usually come from federal, foundation, or industrial support awarded to a faculty member or to a laboratory. The majority of physics graduate students are RAs. RA appointments are generally for the academic year, plus the summer. The amount of time a student spends on specific RA duties depends on the amount of course work necessary and on the requirements of the specific group in which he or she is working. For new graduate students taking classes and preparing for the general examination, research duties normally require 20 hours per week or less. Duties include working on special problems and/or helping senior graduate students. After two to three years, research becomes full time and generally leads to a thesis topic.

TAs are graduate students who assist with teaching-related activities. TA duties may include teaching recitation sections, assisting faculty members in grading, or supervising an undergraduate laboratory. Many students find that teaching provides invaluable experience in career preparation. A graduate student in physics may be a TA at any point of his or her study, but the number of TA positions are limited. TA appointments cover only the nine months of the academic year. These appointments involve teaching sections in a course or lab, tutoring, or grading homework and exams. This work is done in addition to any research or class work the student is doing and requires up to about 20 hours per week. TAs are given preferentially to incoming students, although some TAs are assigned to advanced graduate students with good teaching skills. The Department cannot guarantee summer employment for TAs, who are encouraged to look for summer jobs in any of the various physics department research groups or externships. TAs without summer appointments should not register unless they are prepared to pay tuition.

The department also has a small number of fellowships. These fellowships generally provide support during the earlier part of graduate study.

Almost all of our financial support is awarded to applicants who enter in September. We do accept applications for February admission. However, since these are considered after financial commitments for the year have been made, the likelihood of financial aid is much less than for September admission.

In general, the Physics Department encourages students to become involved with research as early as possible. The best way to determine whether or not a field is for you is to try it out, and the MIT pattern of early research experience makes this possible. Many students have some ideas about possible areas of interest. For these students, the Department tries to arrange a research assistantship (RA), either with a particular group or in a general area. For students who wish to explore a variety of alternatives before choosing a research specialty, we try to provide flexibility by awarding a teaching assistantship (TA) or combined RA/TA appointment in which the RA is understood to be exploratory rather than a permanent specialization.

Students normally join a research group and are supported by an RA after the first year. In some cases, this may be delayed one or two semesters. Students who desire TA support after the first year must apply with the Graduate Appointments Coordinator. TA support beyond the second year is provided only under extenuating circumstances such as a temporary shortfall of research funding, a student’s transition to a different research group, or departmental teaching needs. Applications for TAs are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Research assistantships are generally renewed on a yearly basis (except for first year students who are normally appointed for nine months). The award of an assistantship imposes no obligation to continue such support beyond a given appointment. The department has the policy that, in the event of unsatisfactory performance, notice of termination must be given by the research supervisor in writing at least one full term in advance. Written notification of unsatisfactory progress must also be sent to the student and his or her academic advisor at least three months before the termination notice. Specific notification dates for each term are available in the Physics Education Office. The student has a responsibility to continue working as long as he or she is being supported.

The current stipend rates for RAs and TAs are available in the Physics Education Office. For both RAs and TAs, full tuition is paid over and above the stipend. If loss of support is due to termination of a research contract, the Department will provide support for one additional term and will make every effort to provide an alternative form of continuing support.

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