The Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences program and the University Graduate School offer assistantships to support graduate students.
These fall into three categories: Graduate Assistant (GA), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA). Guidelines for graduate assistantships are available at the University Graduate School site.
Graduate Assistant Opportunities
Graduate assistants support the academic work of basic science and clinical medicine faculty members.
Graduate assistants can:
- Perform literature searches and summarize specific research topics.
- Assist faculty with lecture and seminar presentations.
- Assist clinical faculty in running advanced patient scenarios.
- Assist faculty in research, documentation, experimentation, and related activities.
A full graduate assistantship encompasses 20 hours of work per week. Graduate assistants may not seek additional employment while enrolled.
Graduate Assistant Benefits
Each graduate assistantship includes subsidized health insurance, a stipend and a tuition waiver.
Health Insurance
Graduate assistants are automatically enrolled in a plan that covers 75 percent of the health insurance premium. Each graduate assistant is responsible for paying the remaining 25 percent of the premium, which is deducted from their biweekly paycheck. More information regarding the plan and benefits is available on Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk.
Funding for Travel
Graduate students are advised to attend and present research findings at scientific conferences and meetings. Students can seek funding for travel from sponsors of conferences they wish to attend and from professional associations in their field. Students may also apply for travel funding through the FIU Graduate and Professional Student Committee.
Commitments as a Graduate Assistant
- Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
- Register for a minimum of nine credits for fall and spring terms and a minimum of six credits for summer terms
- Comply with university policies regarding graduate assistantships
- Commit to 20 hours per week
Graduate assistants who do not maintain satisfactory academic progress may have their assistantships canceled. Cancellation of an assistantship within an active term will result in reversing the tuition fee waiver and can lead to the termination of the subsidized health insurance. Employment may be terminated if a graduate assistant's performance is unsatisfactory.