The Kansas State University Graduate School and the Department of Statistics provide financial assistance to graduate students through teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and graduate fellowships. Statistics graduate assistants are encouraged to enroll in 8 credit hours per semester and are required to enroll in at least 6 credit hours per semester. Tuition and fees can be found on Kansas State's for Future Students page, click on Tuition and Costs on the left column. You will also find essential information about applying to Kansas State.

Department of Statistics Teaching Assistantships, GTA

The most common form of support in the Department is a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA). These are awarded on a competitive basis. Teaching assistants with little initial teaching experience gain basic teaching skills in our Studio Classroom under supervision of an experienced teacher. With qualified teaching experience, our teaching assistants have complete responsibility for an introductory class, which is a far greater responsibility than simply grading or leading a recitation session. This is because we do not use large lecture classes with discussion sections run by graduate assistants, as do many other departments.

Obtaining and maintaining teaching excellence is a priority for the Department of Statistics. The GTAs are teachers in this system and also students. Our department provides extensive training and support for GTAs through our GTA Training Program. Training begins during orientation, the week before classes, where GTAs learn the basic ideas of general education, how to teach statistics using this approach, and obtain feedback through practice teaching sessions. During the semester, weekly teaching meetings are held, where teaching ideas are presented and discussed, as well as other issues in statistics education. A resource notebook is provided to each GTA which includes over 300 pages of teaching ideas and resources. The Department of Statistics has found that this training program provides a cooperative teaching environment that encourages GTAs to work together, thus benefiting from the combined knowledge, experience, and ideas of the group. The goal of the training program is to help our GTAs become excellent communicators and teachers. The skills gained during this training should greatly enhance one's marketability and future success as a professional statistician.

First semester teaching assistants are appointed for four-tenths time (16 hours/week) with a minimum stipend of $13,000 for nine months (i.e., the academic year) to teach one course section. After their first semester of teaching, and if they are considered to be successful teachers, GTA's may teach two sections of a course with stipends ranging from $15,000 - $19,500, depending on the course sections. Teaching assistants receive a full tuition waiver.

Students whose native language is not English are required to pass the revised TSE exam with a score of 50 or more to be considered for a teaching assistantship. This is a University requirement which cannot be waived by the Department.

Fill out an application for assistantship

Department of Statistics Research Assistantships, GRA

These assistantships are generally funded through research grants or contracts awarded to the University or by funds provided by the Kansas State Research and Extension (AES), and the College of Arts and Sciences. The number varies from semester to semester. A student who is appointed to a research assistantship will be involved in one or more major consulting or research projects. These positions are frequently held by our more senior and experienced graduate students. Demonstrated ability and willingness to work hard are the two most important criteria for selecting research assistants.

Research assistants are appointed for four-tenths time (16 hours/week) with a minimum stipend of $13,500 on a nine month basis. However, some GRA's are employed on a 12 month basis with stipends in the range of $15,000 to $20,000. Students involved in the department's consulting program receive a one-tenth GRA stipend allocation in addition to their regular (GTA or GRA) stipend. Graduate research assistants do not receive a tuition waiver, however, tuition is assessed at the resident rate.

University Graduate Fellowships Program

University-wide graduate fellowships are available for exceptionally talented US citizens or permanent residents planning to pursue a doctoral degree at Kansas State University. These fellowships include a base stipend up to $15,000, plus a tuition scholarship. Stipends may be supplemented by departments. The fellowships are nominally for one year; departments provide support for additional years. Nominees may not be enrolled at Kansas State when they apply. Nominations for fellowships are made by the department to the dean of the Graduate School. The Department of Statistics has been successful in securing these fellowships for their outstanding applicants. The department must make their nominations by February 1st, therefore, to be considered for a graduate fellowship you must have your application materials to the Department of Statistics as early as possible.

Department of Statistics Summer Support

The assistantships within the department are nominally for the academic year. The Department tries to make summer support available to those who have served as teaching assistants or research assistants during the academic year. While summer support cannot be guaranteed, it is typically provided. Some summer appointments require classroom teaching and others require assisting faculty members with their teaching, research and/or consulting. The Department strongly encourages graduate students to consider summer internships with various industries, National Laboratories, and Federal Statistical Agencies. An internship is valuable experience that enhances a student's statistical skills and marketability. The Department of Statistics has been able to arrange an increasing number of such internships for interested students each year.

To receive information about our graduate program, e-mail our Graduate Program