Dissertation Research Assistantship Award

Dissertation Research Assistantships are academic awards designed for students who are in the dissertation preparation stage of their graduate education. Students should be able to complete the dissertation during the period of the award.

Current Graduate School/Graduate Council policy allows students to be nominated for a Dissertation Research Assistantship award before they are advanced to candidacy. However, failure to be admitted to candidacy before the award begins will result in suspension of the award.

Students holding Dissertation Research Assistantship Awards must have a service requirement, with specific duties assigned by the chairperson of the department. A student should be enrolled for six dissertation hours during the term of the award (normal maximum is twelve (12) semester hours per semester). A student will be expected to resign the award at the time the dissertation is submitted to the Graduate School, if this occurs prior to three weeks before the end of the time period for the award.

Nominees must be fully admissible to a graduate doctoral degree program and must meet the following criteria:

• An overall graduate grade point average of at least 3.25 (No minimum undergraduate grade point average if required.)
• The student must have prepared a dissertation proposal with tentative or final approval by at least the chairperson of the dissertation committee.
• The student must not have more than four calendar years of financial support as a doctoral student, including this award for which the student is being nominated. (note, support limits vary among academic departments.)
• The student cannot hold any other paid position within the university.

Questions regarding the Graduate Assistantship\Fellowship Office: Contact gaoffice@siu.edu