All chemistry graduate scholars are admitted with a stipend, 100% health insurance subsidy, and 100% tuition waiver. Funding is guaranteed as long as the scholar continues to make satisfactory progress towards the degree.

Stipend basics

Graduate scholar stipend support comes from a number of sources, including:

• Laney Graduate School fellowships
• Teaching Assistantships
• External fellowships
• Faculty research grants

Scholars receiving any form of stipend support are expected to devote themselves full time to graduate work and research. Outside employment is permitted with the primary research mentor’s permission and must be kept to ten hours or less per week.

Understanding faculty bridge funding

The Department of Chemistry recognizes a need to provide financial support to departmental faculty who have a temporary lapse in external funding. The graduate program benefits from this policy as it offers a robust mechanism for ensuring uninterrupted funding support for graduate scholars. If a scholar’s primary research mentor is receiving bridge funds, they must instruct all graduate scholars supported by bridge funds to request a minimum of a single TA assignment each semester – Fall, Spring, and Summer. If the Department encounters a shortage of Advanced TAs, graduate students supported by bridge funds may be required to perform a double TA assignment. 
Scholars who are required to TA under this policy should submit their Advanced Graduate TA Commitment Form no later than June 1st in any given year or as soon as the faculty member accepts bridge funding, whichever comes sooner. Early submission of this form allows the graduate program to take into account the TA preferences of advanced scholars and to ensure that TA service can adequately support the stipend. 

Leave guidance

Breaks should be discussed with the primary research mentor and should be limited to two weeks per year. Scholars who take extended breaks without approval will have their stipends terminated. Scholars are encouraged to work with their primary research mentor to understand how personal leave is handled within their home research group. The Department of Chemistry follows LGS guidelines for withdrawal, leave of absence, and parental accommodation. Scholars should familiarize themselves with these guidelines.

Additional funding

Professional Development Support (PDS) funding is available for research travel, conferences, and training via the Laney Graduate School. Scholars should familiarize themselves with program guidelines and take advantage of this support. Two additional travel grants of $250 each are available by application to the Graduate Student Council (GSC).

Scholars are encouraged to research and apply for grants relevant to their graduate work, including, but not limited to, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Scholars should carefully review email digests from Laney Graduate School and the Department of Chemistry for potential funding opportunities and explore funding opportunities from professional organizations and government agencies. When a scholar receives an external stipend that fully replaces 75% or more of the annual program stipend, they are eligible for an annual stipend supplement from LGS. Refer to the Special Funding Requests page for instructions – students should proactively request this supplement if they become eligible.

Stipend termination

A scholar’s stipend may be terminated due to:

• degree completion
• transfer
• leave of absence
• temporary termination to allow scholar to accept paid training opportunity (internship or co-op)
• withdrawal (either voluntary or required based on academic performance)

In the case of transfer, leave of absence, or withdrawal, the stipend will usually terminate immediately upon the effective date for the change of status. However, termination is not completed until the primary research mentor submits the Stipend Termination form with a student signature.

For graduating scholars, the stipend will terminate automatically at the end of the semester in which a scholar graduates. However, faculty have the option of terminating the stipend early if the student is completing their work with a given lab on an earlier date by completing the Stipend Termination form. This form will not be processed unless a scholar has signed the form to indicate their awareness of the stipend end date. However, it is important for scholars to understand that faculty are not obligated to provide stipend support following the successful completion of the dissertation defense. At the same time, scholars cannot be required to complete any uncompensated work after the stipend termination, including, but not limited to, training other graduate scholars, TA duties, or writing publications.

Graduate Scholars may not remain employed through the Laney Graduate School after the automatic stipend termination date for the semester in which their defense paperwork is formally registered by LGS (see Stipend Termination form for dates.) Any offer of continuing employment past this date is not managed by the graduate program and should be arranged with an HR Representative from the unit overseeing the proposed employment. The graduate program is unable to assist in the management of pay for a program alum.

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