Graduate Assistantships

Teaching (TA) or Research (RA) Assistantships are available from the Department to students seeking MS or Ph.D. degrees. Students accepting assistantships are expected to contribute at least 20 hours per week to departmental or project activities and, for those students with full admission status, reduced tuition and fees are charged. A TA should have an interest in working with people. TAs participate in the teaching and/or extension programs of the Department and have an opportunity to develop teaching skills, philosophies, and methodologies. The specific experience gained by the TA depends on his/her graduate major and the courses involved. In most instances, students will assist with courses associated in their majors. Because MS and Ph.D. degrees are research-oriented, a TA also will be expected to conduct independent research leading to a thesis or dissertation. TAs participate in specific research responsibilities associated with a a project or with a principal investigator. Depending on the circumstances, the research conducted may or may not be used for the writing of a thesis or dissertation. RAs also may have some teaching/extension responsibilities before graduation because the Department of Agronomy encourages all MS and Ph.D. candidates to gain teaching/extension experiences while working on their advanced degrees.

Minimum TOEFL scores for international students will be 79 (IBT) 197 (CBT). A student must secure a major professor in our department BEFORE being accepted into our program.

To learn about Pioneer International Scholarships for students from developing countries working in plant breeding, please check here.