There are currently two types of assistantships offered in the Department of Horticulture. The first type is project-related and the second type is a departmental research assistantship. There are no teaching assistantships per se in our department. In either case, students must pay all University fees as well as federal, state and local income taxes, even if tuition is waived.

Project-Related Assistantships
If a student assistantship is project related, that means the major professor is responsible for outlining the terms of work and study that go along with the stipend which you receive. If a student is on a departmental assistantship, the student may not work more than twenty hours per week. This work will be either the major professor's research or in an area to which the major professor assigns the student. This is in addition to the student's class work and research. The exact details of the work and study relationship should be worked out with the major advisor. Most assistantships are available to the student for a period of 24 to 36 months, and do not carry any sick leave, retirement or other fringe benefits. Students on assistantships are expected to be at work whenever the University is open (not just during class sessions). It is a department policy that each year 10 days of paid vacation leave is allowed. Scheduling of this time is subject to scheduling approval by the student's major professor. Additional unpaid vacation leave is at the discretion of the major professor.

Departmental Research Assistantships
The following information applies to departmental assistantships only. These criteria are not used for acceptance of students to graduate programs in horticulture or for non-departmental assistantships.

I. - Eligibility for departmental assistantships is determined by the Horticulture Department Graduate Studies Committee. The Department Head then determines if the assistantship will be awarded.

II. - Departmental assistantship criteria.
A. To be eligible, a student:
1. Must have > 3.0 GPA or equivalent of a B.
2. Must be recognized as having outstanding potential based on
references, credentials, and other recommendations.
3. Must have taken the GRE.
4. Must have a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
score of > 550.
5. Must have the following basic sciences:
a. calculus - one semester
b. chemistry - one year
c. physics - one semester
d. biological sciences - one year

B. The requirements in #5 can be met in several ways:
1. Have taken the above, or
2. Have taken approved equivalent courses, or
3. Tested out of the above courses, or
4. Have exceeded the entry-level requirements for the above
courses.

C. If the above criteria are not met, the student may be deemed ineligible or eligible for an assistantship on a provisional basis. This provisional status would be based on the student's specific deficiencies as determined by the Graduate Studies Committee. Deficiencies must be removed within one year, or the assistantship will be revoked by the department head.

III. - Distribution of departmental assistantships is recommended by the Graduate Studies Committee and administered at the discretion of the Department Head and should be based on:
A. Student eligibility,
B. Availability of a suitable major professor,
C. Program needs, and
D. Student balance.

IV. - Duration of assistantship normally should be 24 months for M.S. and 36 months for PhD.

OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT
In the case of students on a department assistantship, you are considered to be employed full-time (20 hours per week of work for the major professor, class work and their own thesis research). It is expected that you will NOT obtain any outside employment as it is not physically possible to do an adequate job on thesis research, class work and the work associated with your assistantship, in addition to an outside job. Extenuating circumstances should be discussed with your major professor. Students who are not on assistantship may obtain employment outside of the university or student hourly within the department or the university. Students doing so should, however, keep in mind that it is their responsibility to execute a complete and concise program of studies within a reasonable amount of time that leads towards the Master of Science or a Doctor of Philosophy degree.