Assistantships and Financial Aid
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Return to the Mathematics Graduate Program Homepage
Financial Aid Opportunities
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs)
- Applications
- Assignments
- Duties
- Scholastic Standards
- Minimum Course Load for GTAs
- Physical Presence
- Establishing Residency
- Policy Regarding Length of GTA Support
Please see Part I, section 4 of the Graduate Program Handbook for additional information regarding Graduate Teaching Assistantships in the department of Mathematics.
Applications
Applications for GTAs should be received by February 1 in a given year in order to receive full consideration for students entering in the Fall of that year. Generally offers will be made by mid-March although wait-listed students may receive an offer in April. See How to Apply for more details.
Assignments
GTA assignments are made by the Undergraduate Facilitator and department Chair in the weeks preceding the beginning of each semester. Please complete the Teaching Preferences form sent out each semester by the deadline posted so that we can take into account your class schedule and teaching preferences.
Duties
GTA duties may take up to 20 hours per week, although ideally we would like to see students not average more than 18 hours per week. If you feel your work load is excessive, please discuss the situation with the course coordinator. If this does not resolve the situation please see any of the following: Undergraduate Director, Graduate Director, Graduate Coordinator, or Department Head.
You are responsible for your class. In the event of illness or other emergency, the front office staff can arrange for a sub (Phone: 491-7925). DO NOT recruit subs without getting front office approval. Missed classes must be made up - No exceptions. You are required to turn in your grade book at the end of the semester.
Scholastic Standards
Maintaining Good Academic Standing: To remain in good academic standing a student must demonstrate acceptable performance in course work after being admitted to the graduate program. This requires a cumulative 3.00 grade point average in all regular and non-regular coursework. For Mathematics, non-regular coursework consists of:
- Independent Study - MATH 695
- Research - MATH 798
- Seminar - MATH 592
- Thesis – MATH 699
- Dissertation - MATH 799
- Supervised College Teaching - MATH 584.
Overall, a 3.00 grade point average must be maintained in regular and non-regular courses graded traditionally (A through F).
In addition, good academic standing requires satisfactory progress toward degree milestones. A student’s advisor and committee, as well as the Mathematics Graduate Committee, may render judgments as to whether satisfactory progress is being made toward the degree.
Academic Probation: Failure to maintain a 3.00 grade point average will result in being placed on academic probation by the Graduate School as well as the loss of the Graduate Teaching Assistantship. The probationary period lasts for one semester allowing the student time to raise their GPA. Students on academic probation who do not regain good academic standing will be dismissed by the Graduate School.
However, new regularly admitted students will not be placed on academic probation or lose their Graduate Teaching Assistantship until they have completed 12 credits, or two semesters of graduate work, whichever comes first.
A student whose progress toward degree milestones is determined to be unsatisfactory may be placed on academic probation. The deficiency will be clearly documented in writing, stating the timeline for adequate improvement. Failure to meet this improvement plan will result in dismissal from the program. For more information on the department’s dismissal policy, see Part I, section 6 of the Graduate Program Handbook.
Minimum Course Load for GTAs
Unless otherwise approved, all GTAs should be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester. This requirement is part of the GTA contract and students that do not abide by it risk losing their assistantships. If you anticipate that you will fall below 9 credit hours for any reason, please seek formal approval in writing from either your academic advisor or the Graduate Director. Students who believe they have completed their credit requirements for their degrees should have this confirmed with their advisor and the Graduate Coordinator.
Physical Presence
GTA contracts are from August 15 – May 15 and physical presence outside of University Holidays may be required. Attendance at pre-semester meetings is required of all GTAs. Please check with your course coordinator (once he/she is assigned) to determine the time of your meeting. In addition, certain departmental meetings as well as graduate student workshops are mandatory. Inform your course coordinator of any anticipated absences well in advance.
Establishing Residency
If you are a GTA and a US citizen, as part of your contract you will need to establish Colorado residency or be responsible for the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition after your first year. (As it takes one full year to establish residency you must begin the process immediately upon arrival in Ft. Collins.) As part of the GTA stipend, the Department of Mathematics covers your full out-of-state tuition in your first year and in-state tuition in the out-years. The Office of Enrollment Services will assist students in establishing Colorado residency.
Here is a quick summary (see link above for final word!): After completing the one-year residency requirement you must file a petition to become eligible for in-state status. Request and/or submit petition to: Colorado State University, Student Financial Services, Room 103 Administration Annex, Fort Collins, CO 80523-8024, phone 970-491-6321. To establish residency you must (necessary, not sufficient) obtain:
- Colorado driver's license or valid Colorado ID
- Colorado motor vehicle registration
- Colorado voter registration
- Change in permanent address on all pertinent records
- Payment of Colorado state income taxes as a resident
To complete a petition requires effort on your part to gather and submit the required documentation. Allow ample time to gather all the necessary information and documentation. Orientation classes to assist you are available.
Policy Regarding Length of GTA Support
- When a GTA is awarded, it is implicit that the assistantship will continue to be available, given satisfactory academic progress towards the degree as well as satisfactory performance of assistantship duties. Signs of unsatisfactory academic progress for GTAs might include failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA, dropping below the 9 credit hour minimum or lack of progress towards examination milestones. Signs of unsatisfactory performance of duties include, for example, not showing up for teaching your class, being chronically late, or inappropriate behavior. Student performance is reviewed at the end of each semester. We would like to emphasize that only rarely has it been necessary to discontinue a GTA prematurely.
- For students entering the MS program, the normal period of support is two years measured from the date the program is begun. Support will not be continued beyond two years for an MS student except in special circumstances. These cases must involve some exceptional situation.
- Support for students in the Ph.D. program will continue if the student makes satisfactory progress towards successful completion of the Ph.D. degree milestones: the Ph.D. qualifying examinations,--Parts I and II, the preliminary examination and the Final Dissertation Defense, but typically not longer than four years after successful completion of Part I of the qualifying examination. The graduate committee, in conjunction with the student's Ph.D. advisor and committee, is charged with deciding when satisfactory progress is not being made.
- Note, however, that termination of GTA support does not necessarily constitute dismissal from the program. Students who are in good standing with the Graduate School of the University (which implies certain rules) are entitled to continue in the graduate program of the Department of Mathematics at their own expense.
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The above rules outline the general intentions of the Department of Mathematics. However, in exceptional circumstances the Department may deviate from this policy.
Financial Aid Opportunities
AGEP Fellowship
The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Fellowship AGEP This National Science Foundation (NSF) grant has been awarded to CSU to increase the number of students successfully completing quality PhD programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Particular emphasis is placed on supporing groups that historicaly have been underrepresented in STEM disciplines: African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaskan Native. Students chosen to partiipate as AGEP Fellows receive funding for the first year of their graduate study. The long term goal of our AGEP program is to increase the number of AGEP Fellows who earn their PhD degrees and seek careers as university professors.
CO-AMP Bridge to the Doctorate
The COLORADO LOUIS STOKES ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION CO-AMP is an innovative consortium of fourteen community colleges and four-year institutions, and four Native American tribes in Colorado and the Four Corners region (see map). The Alliance's mission is to double the number of historically and currently under-represented American Indian, African American, and Hispanic students earning bachelor's degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. CO-AMP, headquartered at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, recently completed Phase I (years 1-5) and is in its 8th year of Phase II (years 6-10).
We are extremely excited about the new supplement, "Bridge to the Doctorate" program. Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) provides financial support to 12 AMP students to make graduate school feasible. The BD also builds infrastructure and community within a welcoming social and professional network in STEM disciplines.