Financial Support

Financial Support for New Students
Financial Support for Current Students
David H. Clarke Fellowships

Deadlines and Types of Support for NEW Students

Departmental financial aid for new students typically takes the form of either a fellowship or a graduate assistantship. Both typically provide stipends (currently $12,250 for 9.5 months) and 10 credits of tuition remission for each of the fall and spring semesters. There are two types of graduate assistantships (GA): research assistants (RA) and teaching assistantships (TA). All fellowships are awarded to begin in the Fall semester only. Most teaching assistantships are awarded in the Fall semester but research assistantships may be awarded anytime that the faculty receive external funding. For best consideration for all types of financial support, an applicant must submit all Graduate School application materials (including GRE scores and transcripts) by the "Preferred" deadline of January 15 for Fall consideration, and July 15 for Spring consideration. Applicants become eligible for financial aid consideration only after a positive admission decision has been made. Applicants who apply at a later date may be admitted to our graduate program, but may be too late for fellowship consideration. In addition, the majority of the assistantships may have been already awarded.

Fellowships:

There are currently four different fellowships available: David H. Clarke Fellowships (departmental), University Graduate School Fellowships, Graduate Dean's Fellowship, and NIA Pre-doctoral Fellowships in Exercise Physiology and Aging (departmental). These fellowships provide a stipend and tuition remission. These are merit-based awards in which the department nominates its most exceptional new students. There is no separate application process, and the student may not apply directly to the Graduate School for consideration.

• For information about the David H. Clarke Fellowships click here.

Research Assistantships:

These graduate assistantships (RA) are available through faculty who have external grant funding. They typically require 20 hours of work per week, and may be extended to cover 12-months and/or hourly wages in the summer. Grant awards can be made to the faculty at any point during the year, so there is always some uncertainty about the availability of Research Assistantships. At the present time several faculty in the areas of Exercise Physiology, Exercise Epidemiology and Cognitive Motor Behavior have substantial grant funding. Currently there are no opportunities for Research Assistantships in Sport Studies and Pedagogy. Students should check with their advisor concerning RA possibilities after being admitted. At the present time there are 32 students employed as RAs.

Teaching Assistantships:

There are two programs that employ approximately 26 graduate students as Teaching Assistants (TA). TAs work 20 hours per week, which includes both in class time as well as preparation and office hours. The Undergraduate Major Program hires TAs to teach discussion or laboratory sections in Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Motor Development, Motor Control and History of Sport and to assist the lecture professor. These are usually PhD students who have previously demonstrated aptitude in the subject matter, or in laboratory skills. The majority of Teaching Assistants are assigned to teach in the Physical Activities Program. Program offerings are extensive and range from tennis and martial arts to weight training and golf. In-service training is offered to help develop teaching skills. A new TA typically teaches 4-5 activity classes per semester. Experienced TAs may expect a slightly higher workload. Students who are awarded Teaching Assistantships are eligible for yearly renewals, pending satisfactory academic and work performance. Master's students are supported for 2 years and doctoral students are supported for 3 years (with one additional year possible in some circumstances).

TA Application:

The TA application is available on-line and should be submitted with other application materials. If you are not sure whether an RA position will be available, a TA application should still be completed. Any student interested in an assistantship should complete a TA application. Students should indicate any sport activities that they feel qualified to teach and also indicate any specific background, certification, coaching or playing experiences. Students interested in assisting as a discussion leader or lab instructor, should indicate which classes they feel particularly qualified to teach. The TA application should be viewed as a job application, and therefore experiences should be clearly defined.

International students are rarely considered for TAs unless they present outstanding TSE and TOEFL scores. Documentation of previous teaching experience in English would be helpful. In addition, an English test is required upon arrival.

Current graduate students may also submit a GA application if they are interested in employment. For those not currently on a teaching assistantship, a new application must be submitted each semester.

Selection and Notification:

The primary basis for awarding assistantships is the overall ranking of the admitted student. The majority of the assistantships are based on a rank order of all students who have been admitted as of a specific date. A few assistantships, particularly those available for Spring, are based on the need for specific teaching expertise. TA decisions are made as quickly as possible, but notifications may come as late as April or May for Fall employment. Most assistantships are awarded by April 15, although it is not unusual for one or two openings to occur in the summer after the budget has been finalized. Newly admitted student can inquire about their TA application status by contacting the Graduate Director dla@umd.edu. This is particularly important if an offer from another school has been made.

Financial Support for Current Students

Both the University and the Department of Kinesiology have substantially increased the financial support of currently enrolled graduate students. In most cases, the awards are directly related to the quality of the student's research.

University Awards for Current Students:

There are several awards and competitions for current doctoral students.
Check the Graduate School Fellowship websitefor current information dealing with Travel Grants and Dissertation Fellowships.

Students who participate in the annual spring Graduate School Interaction Day (GRID) are eligible to win monetary awards for their research presentation. Departmental policy provides for travel and registration to conferences in the United States if the student is first author on a refereed paper or poster presentation at a scientific conference. Both masters and doctoral students should submit the required paperwork in a timely fashion and must return original receipts. In addition, the Department of Kinesiology offers two other competitive scholarships; the Elaine Henson Memorial Distinguished Graduate Student Award and the Donald H. Steel Graduate Travel Scholarship. The deadline for applications is typically late February.

Departmental Support and Awards for Current Students:

Departmental policy provides for travel and registration to conferences in the United States if the student is first author on a refereed paper or poster presentation at a scientific conference. Both masters and doctoral students should submit the required paperwork in a timely fashion and must return original receipts. In addition, the Department of Kinesiology offers two other competitive scholarships; the Elaine Henson Memorial Distinguished Graduate Student Award and the Donald H. Steel Graduate Travel Scholarship. The deadline for applications is typically late February.