Nearly all full-time students in the M.S. program have some form of financial support. Teaching assistantships (TAs) and research assistantships (RAs) are awarded on a competitive basis each semester. RAs may be for 9 or 12 months duration, while TAs cover the 9-month academic year. TAs and RAs generally include a waiver of tuition costs, a salary payment to cover living expenses during the period of the assistantship, and health insurance.
About half the MEAS graduate students on 9-month TA or RA appointments receive summer support, either from a summer RA appointment or one of the few summer teaching appointments (5-6 per summer) that are available. In some cases, students not on a summer RA or teaching appointment find support through paid internships, fellowships, or other part-time or full time work, often research-related work at the university. In the event that you did not receive or want a summer appointment of some kind, the 9-month graduate student salary is sufficient to support a reasonable graduate student lifestyle for 12 months.
TA duties normally include teaching undergraduate laboratory sections, but may include other related tasks as needed. RA funds are generally paid from a grant obtained by your advisor, so if you receive an RA appointment you will be involved in research work on the project funded by the grant. In most cases, this work will form part of your M.S. research. Corresponding with faculty members whose research areas are of interest to you is the best way to find out about the availability of RAs.
In order to maintain an assistantship, you must: (1) register for and successfully complete 9 credits each Spring and Fall semester, (2) maintain a "B" (3.00) average, and (3) make satisfactory progress toward the completion of your M.S. thesis. (The only exception, for item 1 above, is for students who have completed their 30-credit requirement and are working full-time on their thesis research; students in this position will register for 2 credits of MEA 699.)
NCSU graduate tuition is substantially more expensive for out-of-state students than for in-state students. It is beneficial to the university, and potentially to you as well, if you establish legal residency in North Carolina:
1. If you are an out-of-state student on a TA or RA appointment, the university is paying a high out-of-state tuition for you, either from state funds or external grant funds; thus, it is beneficial to the university if you establish legal residency in North Carolina.
2. Most grants have fixed budgets from the time they are initially awarded to the university. Therefore, if you are an RA on a grant and the grant is paying the lower in-state tuition on your behalf, your RA appointment may last longer than if the grant had to pay the higher out-of-state tuition. Thus, North Carolina residency could potentially benefit you by allowing you to remain on an RA longer, which can speed your progress to graduation.
3. NCSU guarantees tuition benefits for the first 4 semesters (not counting summers) to M.S. students making good progress (see above, “Financial Support: Assistantships”). If completion of your degree requires more time (which is not unusual), and an extension of your TA or RA can not be arranged (which is possible), you may be in a position requiring payment of some tuition for the additional semester(s). Even if you only register for 2 credits of MEA 699 (the minimum allowed by NCSU) during your additional semester(s) beyond the first 4 semesters, qualifying as an in-state student would save you over $1500/semester (check the web site of the NCSU Cashier’s Office for the current rates of in-state and out-of-state tuition).
If you are U.S. citizen from outside North Carolina you will be strongly encouraged to demonstrate legal residency in North Carolina, for purposes of qualifying for in-state tuition, by the start of your third semester. If you are a North Carolina resident at the time of enrollment you will be asked to supply the required proof of this at the start of your first semester. The NCSU Graduate School maintains a web site with the details on establishing residency for purposes of qualifying for in-state tuition (http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/grad/students/current/resident.htm). Note that if you are a U.S. citizen (North Carolina resident or otherwise), proving or establishing residency as soon as possible entails action on your part within the first few days of your first semester (or sooner). Please carefully review the information on this web site and take the necessary steps within the first week of your first semester. If you have any questions please contact the Director of Graduate Programs in MEAS.