Current graduate students, current 2+3 (dual) students, and new graduate applicants may seek financial assistance from the department in the form of GTA/GRA.
International applicants are also automatically considered for the UMSL Global scholarship as a part of the admission application processing.
Department
We offer two kinds of assistantships (1 and 2 below). They are available to current graduate students and to new graduate applicants. They are also available for award to current 2+3 (dual degree) students from the semester they become reclassified as graduate students (the application can be prior to that). Both positions are easier to get once in the program after establishing a relationship with the department (GTA), or with faculty (GRA).
- GTA – teaching/tutoring, offered by the department
- GRA – research, offered by individual faculty in the department
GTA requires full-time graduate status with no restrictions when starting the assistantship. Applications with current restrictions will be accepted but there must a statement in the submission email regarding how and when the restrictions will be satisfied or removed. Awards with such restrictions will be tenative and will be revoked if the restrictions are not lifted.
GRAs are processed by faculty who have openings, and they may become available at any time. The faculty access the application pool. Students interested in GRA positions are also encouraged to review the research interests of our faculty and the list of current or past sponsored projects, and approach selected faculty directly.
Both assistantships come with a stipend and possible tuition reduction/remission. GTA includes full tuition remission of educational fees for 9 hours of graduate-level courses per semester for courses that are a part of the degree. GRA may include tuition reduction or remission depending on the monetary source. In both cases, the reduction/remission applies to tuition and no special fees.
Any new graduate applicant who intends to apply for either GTA or GRA to start during their starting semester must apply for admission and separately submit the assistantship application form directly to the department by emailing it to grad-requests@cs.umsl.edu, with attachments including a statement of interest, resume, and letters of recommendation if any relating specifically to the sought position. When emailing use Subject="GTA/GRA Application #YourStudentNumber".
Current graduate students (or 2+3 students waiting to be reclassified) apply by emailing to grad-requests@cs.umsl.edu the assistantship application form, the current student application form, and a statement of interest. Letters from external references can also be included but we will use your UMSL faculty as your references. The application can be updated (resent) at the beginning of each semester to be active, or when we open the search. When emailing use Subject="GTA/GRA Application #YourStudentNumber".
GTA applications are processed in the middle of a semester when/if a position is available for the following semester. Deadlines are March 15 for the fall, and October 1 for the spring semester. Applications arriving after these dates will be considered for the following cycle and can be updated beforre the next deadline.
Occasionally, a GTA position may become available at any time, even after the explicit deadlines. In cases like this, we review the applications on file and may call for new submissions.
More specific Graduate School regulations about assistantships can be found at the Graduate School's Rules and Regulations.
The department may have other part-time opportunities for students to work as a grader or as a tutor in a "help lab", those are normally applied for when in the program. As a part-time employee for the department, students will receive an hourly wage only.
Outside the Department
Our students often find assistantships or hourly work in other departments to help them with computer needs. This work is available to international students as well, and you generally must be a current student to pursue these opportunities.
Visit the Financial Aid office to learn about other possibilities for financial assistance.
