Overview

Masters Degree in Statistics

Ph.D. Degree

COURSE OFFERINGS

Admissions Information

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance

There is a limited amount of financial assistance in the form of Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and/or fellowships available to entering full-time graduate students. Such financial aid is awarded competitively. Not all entering students can be supported financially.  Entering graduate students who wish financial assistance should mark “Yes” to the question “Do you wish to be considered for financial aid…?” on the on-line Application for Admission to Graduate Study under the section “application information”.

Once Ph.D. students have passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam and are beginning research on their dissertation, they can become Teaching Fellows (TFs) or Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs). A few of these appointments may be with other departments in the University. To date, the Department of Statistics has been successful in finding such appointments for its Ph.D. students, but no guarantees can be made.  

The current monthly stipend for a TA is presently $1,749.38. Thus, a new TA can expect to receive $13,995 for a two-term (two-semester) appointment. TFs and GSRs are paid slightly more than TAs. Note that TAs, TFs, GSAs and GSRs receive tuition scholarships proportionate to the level of their award (full, partial) during the terms in which they have appointments. The University provides individual health insurance to graduate students with eligible academic appointments. Full-time TAs and TFs are expected to work twenty (20) hours per week in addition to the time they require for course work and study. 

Some support is available to TA/TFs who request teaching assignments during the Summer Term; the amount of support depends upon summer enrollments. Students who receive TA, TF or GSR appointments for the summer receive a tuition scholarship based on the level (partial, full) of their appointment for that term.

University TA/TF GSA Policy Statement, which is sent to all new teaching assistants and available on-line at http://www.pitt.edu/~provost/tapolicy.html, contains the University’s policies concerning those appointments. New GSRs will be sent the University GSR Policy Statement available on-line at http://www.pitt.edu/~graduate/gsr.html.

Domestic students should note that there are a variety of competitive national and regional Fellowships and Scholarships available, both for entering students and for dissertation support. All senior graduate students (domestic and international) are eligible to compete for the University-wide Mellon Pre-doctoral Fellowships to support their research.