A. Stipend Support
The School provides financial support to Ph.D. students in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA). A student's support in the first year is contingent on the academic performance described in Section II.B.1 above. Assuming no academic problems, every student is guaranteed five semesters of support as a GTA paid by the School. Typically, these are the first five semesters in residence, whereupon the student converts to a GRA paid by the research funds of the Ph.D. supervisor. However, some supervisors may prefer to begin GRA support earlier and make use of what remains of the five semesters of TA support later.
To guarantee a student's salary, every GTA and GRA must register for at least 12 credit hours. Of these, at least 9 hours must be taken on a letter grade or pass/fail basis. The remainder should be PHYS 8997 (GTA) or PHYS 8998 (GRA) taken on an audit basis.
B. Assistantship Duties
A GTA works for the School for 10-14 hours/week. a student may be asked to (a) supervise undergraduate laboratories, (b) proctor examinations, (c) grade homework, or (d) tutor undergraduates. This is a serious job. If a student does not perform the tasks asked of him/her, the School will not hesitate to reduce or discontinue a student's financial support.
To help students prepare for their GTA duties, all first-year students register for CETL 8000 PH, "Physics GTA Preparation", a one-credit pass/fail course during the Fall semester (see Table above). This course prepares first-year Ph.D. students for their teaching responsibilities through the integration of pedagogy, physics, and professional development strategies. Class activities use research-based teaching practices to help students build a foundation for learner-centered teaching. Emphasis is given to development of transferable skills that students can use in their future careers inside and outside of the classroom.
A GRA works for an individual professor. A student's duties are to conduct research toward a student's Ph.D.
GRA salaries are paid from the research grants of individual professors. Therefore, once a student is committed to a professor for a student's Ph.D., a student must ask him/her before registering each semester to learn whether he or she will be a GRA or a GTA for the coming semester.
C. Registration
Not long after mid-term every semester, Phase I registration opens for the next semester. It last two weeks. Phase II registration opens just before each semester begins. It also lasts two weeks. Plan to register during Phase I. Note: even if a student registers during Phase I, he/she does not need to pay the registration fee until the beginning of Phase II. During Phase I in the Spring, students can register for both Summer and Fall classes. The registration web site is https://oscar.gatech.edu .
Once past the first year courses, the majority of students register in (i) a research course under their advisor [either PHYS 8901 or PHYS 9000 depending on if they have passed their Proposal Exam] for 9 hours on a P/F basis, (ii) an assistantship course [either PHYS 8997 or PHYS 8998] for 3 hours on an audit basis, and, potentially, (iii) a course to satisfy their Doctoral Minor or advanced physics course requirements (3 hours on a Letter Grade basis). Exceptions to this standard should be discussed with the Graduate Coordinator well ahead of the registration deadlines.
1. Final Semester Registration Options
Students that are completing their Ph.D. may find that the timing of their defense, graduation, and start of their subsequent employment leads to an ambiguity in how they should register for their final semester at Georgia Tech. There are, in general, three options (see Pages 3-4 of the Thesis Manual for more details and rules).
- Register as normal (i.e., PHYS 9000 & PHYS 8997/8). This works fine if the final version of your thesis is submitted in time for graduation in your last semester (see the deadlines), and there are no funding limitations.
- The 1-credit hour option. Students in their graduating semester can register for only 1 hour of PHYS 9000. Such students are, of course, not full-time and will therefore not receive a tuition waiver or be eligible to be paid as a GTA or GRA. These students must therefore pay the 1-hr of tuition and fees (~$800/in-state and ~$1400/out-of-state). Students can be hired as a Graduate Assistant (GA) by their advisor and paid hourly. [NOTE: Students who are US citizens are ineligible for student health insurance if they are registered for less than 4 credit hours. Such students should contact STAMPS Health Services and consider their options before registering for 1-credit hour.] Students can use the 1-credit hour option only once while at Georgia Tech.
- Enrollment Waiver. This is for students who missed the final submission deadline for their target graduating semester, but have successfully defended, submitted their thesis, and are ready to start their job. They therefore have to stay 'on the books' at Georgia Tech to graduate the following semester, even though they may not ever be on campus during the semester. The Enrollment Waiver allows a student to stay 'on the books' and not register for any hours or pay any money. To use the Enrollment Waiver, complete the form using DocuSign (find it at the bottom of the Forms Page) before the Enrollment Waiver deadline. Note that all thesis-related forms must be completed and submitted for the Enrollment Waiver to be approved.
If none of these seem to fit, students should discuss their case with the Registrar's Office.
D. Fees
GTA and GRA students must pay a fee to register for either the Fall or Spring semesters. Depending on a student's residency status (Georgia resident or non-resident) MS and Ph.D. students without any financial support pay a fee that depends on the number of hours registered. The complete fee schedule is posted at http://www.bursar.gatech.edu. Students can pay on-line or in person at the Office of the Bursar. Pay student fees on time to avoid late charges!
E. Travel Reimbursements
As part of their training, graduate students may need to travel to destinations around the world. This travel is often supported through the grants of the student's advisor, or through one of the various student travel awards offered on campus (see IV.E below). Frequently, the student is reimbursed for travel expenses after completion of the trip. To ensure a smooth reimbursement process, students should
- talk to the staff in the School of Physics Finance Office (Howey N109) about reimbursement policies and procedures before making any travel arrangements
- read and be aware of Georgia Tech's travel policies, including common issues that arise (e.g., sharing hotel rooms, missing receipts).
If a student has any questions about what may or may not be reimbursable (e.g., stays in Air B&Bs are not reimbursable), they should speak to the Finance Office before they travel.
