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TA/RA Assistantships

Most full-time graduate students in Physics are supported by teaching and/or research appointments. There are also a number of scholarships and awards that provide partial financial support. Students who accept assistantships at the University are required to register as full-time graduate students (a minimum of 10 credits). During their first year as a Teaching Assistant, students are required to enroll in a training course for Teaching Assistants in Physics. 

Graduate School Memo 15  outlines conditions for employment of TAs who are not native speakers of English. If you do not meet the conditions outlined in the memo, you can still be employed as a TA during the first year but with grading duties only, and you are required to enroll in the English 105 course as soon as possible. Passing the Versant Test or the Eng 105 course are prerequisite for  TA appointments beyond the first year. The student must contact the Physics Graduate Program Coordinator to resolve special circumstances.”

Teaching Assistantships

The Department employs approximately 50 Teaching Assistants to aid in its instructional program. Assistants are initially appointed for terms up to one year on the basis of scholastic merit. Subsequent appointment is contingent on maintenance of satisfactory progress in the doctoral program and on satisfactory performance as a Teaching Assistant. A small number of Teaching Assistantships are available for Summer Quarter.

Students holding regular (20 hr/week) Teaching Assistantships receive monthly stipends and tuition waivers. The duties involve grading, preparation, conferences, and teaching instructional laboratories and tutorials.

Graduate students in the Physics Ph.D. program will receive an email in about the 3rd week of each quarter asking if they would like to apply for a TA position in the following quarter. Students not in the Physics Ph.D. program should complete an application here.

Research Assistantships

Positions as Research Assistants are available in most of the areas of experimental and theoretical research in the Department. These positions are awarded at the discretion of the Faculty member with whom the student is working. Students are expected to obtain such support by the end of their second year. Usually, these appointments can be continued through the summer. The stipends and benefits are the same as those for Teaching Assistants. For stipend amounts go to the University of Washington TA/RA Salary Schedules Site.

Pre doctoral Associateships

Students appointed as pre doctoral Research Associates must have passed the Qualifying Examination and must be recommended by their thesis supervisors. Candidates for Pre doctoral Teaching Associateships are recommended by the graduate program coordinator on the basis of academic merit and performance as a Teaching Assistant.

Two levels of appointment are available for both teaching and research positions. Appointment at the higher level is available to students who have passed the General Examination. Pre doctoral Associate appointments may be continued through the summer.

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