Department of Political Science University of Missouri-Columbia College of Arts and Science

Graduate Program - Financial Support

Fellowships

Several University of Missouri-Columbia graduate fellowships are available to qualified graduate students:

  • D. R. Francis Graduate Fellowship
  • William Gregory Fellowship
  • G. Ellsworth Huggins Scholarship
  • Thurgood Marshall Fellowship
  • Gus T. Ridgel Fellowship

These fellowships are competitive and a Graduate School faculty committee makes awards. Please see Graduate School fellowships for more information.

An applicant for a university fellowship must submit a complete admission packet to the Department of Political Science by February 1.

Also see Departmental Fellowships.

Teaching and research assistantships

In the Department of Political Science, about 20-30 teaching and research assistantships are filled by Political Science graduate students each semester. The annual stipend for a half-time (20 hour per week) assistantship during the 2000-2001 academic year was $10,500, along with a waiver of course-related fees. The annual stipend for a quarter-time (10 hours per week) assistantship was $5,250, also with a waiver of course-related fees.

To be considered for a teaching or research assistantship, an applicant must submit a complete application packet to the Department of Political Science by February 1.

A graduate teaching assistant (TA) helps a faculty member instruct undergraduates in courses. They hold office hours, meet and advise undergraduates in Political Science classes, grade exams, and fulfill other duties. Some teaching assistants hold discussion sections three to four times a week, with 20-25 undergraduates in each section. Students may serve as teaching assistants in the freshman courses such as American Government, Introduction to Political Science, and International Relations. Beginning in the second year, TAs may work with instructors in upper-division courses in their field of study and may lead discussion labs, lead teaching simulations, or perform other duties. Advanced students may be eligible to teach independent courses. Most doctoral students who plan careers in the academic market teach independent sections during the program at MU.

A graduate research assistant (RA) works with one or more faculty members by performing tasks pertaining to Political Science research. RAs are assigned to faculty in order to maximize the learning experience for the graduate student and the research productivity of faculty.

A Graduate Fellow Assistantship has become available to the graduate students in the department. The GFA was created in an effort to promote collaborative research (and possibly, beginning Fall 2003, collaborative teaching) between faculty and graduate students (generally, those in the third year of study or beyond) who are pursing intensive research projects in conjunction with regular faculty in the department.

International students whose primary language is not English must take a special screening test administered by MU before becoming eligible to serve as a teaching assistant. International students rating a 3 or 4 on the screening exam may serve as teaching assistants; those rating a 2 or above may serve as research assistants.

Fellows and graduate assistants holding either a quarter-time or a half-time appointment also receive a complete waiver of course fees. In the 2000-2001 academic year, this waiver is worth $3,600 to $4,700 for Missouri residents and $9,900 to $13,000 for non-residents. Students, however, are required to pay incidental costs such as health insurance, student activity fee, and a computing fee.

Although many students find a research assistantship to be a more valuable experience, teaching assistantships often comprise the bulk of positions available in any particular semester. In order to maximize the experience for all students in the program, a graduate student is limited to three semesters as a research assistant. International students should rate as a 3 or 4 on the English communication screening exam in order to be eligible for graduate assistantships after the first year.

All graduate students receiving an assistantship must maintain full-time status, that is, until dissertation research, the student must carry a minimum course load of nine hours per semester.