Graduate Student Support

Chemistry & Biochemistry

GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT

I. Source and Duration of Funding

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry guarantees academic year (nine months) support for full-time chemistry and biochemistry Ph.D. students in their first five years of study who make adequate progress toward their degree and are in good academic standing. In addition, to be guaranteed support, continuing students beyond the first semester of study are required to join a research group (that has been approved by the department chair), and to maintain satisfactory performance as teaching assistants (if not supported by a research assistantship or fellowship). International students are also required to have met the requirements of the International Teaching Assistant Training Program. The Department does not guarantee support for masters students.
All international teaching assistants (ITAs) are subject to the University of Delaware's International Teaching Assistant Training Program (ELI-ITA). International students are required to attend ELI-ITA training prior to the start of graduate studies and obtain Category III or better rating from the ELI-ITA program before they can serve as ITAs. During the first two semesters of study, students that have attended the ELI-ITA training but have not obtained Category III or better rating will be supported via alternate assistantship mechanism but at the University minimum stipend. At the end of their second semester of study, students who have not obtained Category III rating become ineligible to serve as ITAs or receive other direct departmental support for the duration of their studies. If they obtain Category III rating before the start of the spring semester of a given academic year, then they become eligible to serve as ITAs beginning with the fall semester of the next academic year.
Student summer stipend support typically comes from faculty grants, training grants, teaching assistantships or department sources, and is subject to availability. Departmental sources are usually available only to first-year students working for Assistant Professors. Students who do not receive a summer research stipend from their faculty advisor or other grant source will be eligible for teaching positions during the summer and winter sessions. Since summer and winter teaching positions are limited, the department cannot assure that all students requesting a teaching position will receive one.
Students having an Assistant Professor as their thesis advisor will receive top priority for summer/winter session teaching positions. In addition, the department will provide a research supplement for these students so that the total compensation is equivalent to the normal summer research stipend.
Students wishing to be considered for a teaching position in the summer or winter session must have the approval of their faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Students are not guaranteed support if their research advisor has a primary appointment outside the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Support for these students is reviewed by the Chair on a case-by-case basis.
Placement of graduate students in research groups should try to ensure that each student spends no more than four semesters as a teaching assistant during his/her graduate career. Therefore, faculty accepting new graduate students into her/his research group should have a credible plan to support these students by a research assistantship beyond the four-semester period.

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II. Eligibility for Funding: Making Adequate Progress 

In order to be eligible for financial support, a graduate student must make adequate progress toward his/her degree. The Graduate Curriculum Committee in consultation with the thesis advisor will determine prior to the start of each semester whether or not a student is making adequate progress. This evaluation is based upon the following criteria.

A minimum of fifteen credit hours toward the departmental course requirement should be completed by the end of the second semester of study. The departmental course requirement should be fulfilled by the end of the fourth semester of study. The student must maintain a grade point average of 3.00 in courses taken to fulfill the departmental course requirement.
Students should join a research group or training grant program by the end of the first semester of study. Students who subsequently leave a research group or training grant program should join a new group/program within two months of leaving the previous group/program. If a student is unable to join a research group or training grant program within the specified time, then he/she must switch to the M.A. program.
The "Recommendation for Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree" form should be submitted to the department and Office of Graduate Studies by the end of the fifth semester of study.
The student's progress in thesis research should be such that submission of a dissertation by the end of five years (Ph.D.) or three years (M.S.) of study is feasible. Evaluation of the student's research progress is made by the thesis advisor in consultation with the Ph.D. Advisory Committee.

III. Eligibility for Funding: Academic Standing 

In order to be eligible for financial support, a graduate student must be in good academic standing. This is a university requirement. In order to remain in good academic standing, a graduate student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or greater in all coursework including research and dissertation.  

Students who fail to maintain a 3.00 grade point average will be issued an Academic Warning or will be placed on Academic Probation depending upon the severity of the problem. First year students issued an Academic Warning may request continued support for one semester at the university minimum rate. This request will be evaluated by the department, which must endorse the request if it is to be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies. Requests endorsed by the department will be evaluated by the Office of Graduate Studies for possible approval. Students placed on Academic Probation are generally ineligible for financial support.

Academic standing and other university requirements are discussed in the "Academic and Registration Regulations" section of the Graduate Catalog. Graduate students should become familiar with all university policies that influence their appointments as research or teaching assistants, such as academic honesty, registration requirements, and attendance regulations.

IV. Eligibility for Instructional Funding: Prior Performance 

All teaching assistants in the department are evaluated at the end of each semester by faculty or instructional staff. Student evaluations may also be collected. If teaching assistant performance is deemed unacceptable, students will become ineligible for future TA support.

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Parental Leave Policy

As a graduate student, regardless of which program or school you are in, you are entitled to a period of six (6) weeks of paid parental leave, and a total of fourteen (14) course-weeks (one semester) of unpaid leave in a 12-month period, to accommodate parental responsibilities.

Read the full parental leave policy here.

Colleges