Financial Support

Overview

The department provides Integrative Biology Ph.D. students in good standing with five years of financial support if they do not have other sources of funding.

Forms of support include Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointments, curatorial positions, and Fellowships (both University and Extramural). This five year guarantee includes the years a student is supported by outside fellowships.

In past years the department has been able to provide support to all sixth year students who needed it and were able in many cases to hire students who were here seven years and more.

However, when planning research and funding students should take into account that the department cannot guarantee support after they have exceeded normative time. As mentioned above, every student is required to teach for at least two semesters in order to earn the Ph.D.

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Graduate Student Instructor

Appointments
Appointments are usually made for one semester at a time, normally a 50% time job.

GSIs work 20 hours per week on the average.

Appointments are assigned by the Head Graduate Advisor of the department, based upon sufficient academic progress and the undergraduate teaching evaluations from previous semesters.

Current GSI Projections for IB Classes [PDF]

Pay Periods
Each semester has five paychecks. If appointed in both semesters GSIs receive 10 paychecks, once a month, from September 1 through June 1.

Fee Remission
In addition to salary, GSIs are credited a partial remission on their fees for that semester. The fee remission for Spring 2007 was $4,177.50.

Appointment Steps
Step 1
As of 2007, the starting salary for a Graduate Student Instructor with fewer than four semesters of college teaching experience (Step 1) is $7,805.25 per semester for a 50% appointment.

Step 2
After four semesters at Step 1, or with a combination of experience at a previous institution and Berkeley, GSIs advance to Step II with a raise in pay.

Step 3
Advancement to Step 3 occurs after six semesters teaching and generally GSIs remain at that level until they are finished teaching.

Step 4
Step 4 is granted only under extraordinary circumstances. It is an exception which must be requested by the Head Graduate Advisor and approved by the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division.

The absolute limit on teaching is twelve semesters as a Graduate Student Instructor. After the twelfth semester, a student can no longer be hired in that capacity.

Teaching Evaluations
At the end of each semester the department provides each GSI with teaching evaluation forms to be completed by their students and returned to the department. In addition, GSIs are evaluated by the faculty in charge of the course.

The evaluations give GSIs and faculty feedback on issues such as knowledge and preparation of subject matter, presentation, fairness and impartiality in dealing with students, etc. They become part of the student's record and may be used to determine future GSI appointments as well as an assessment tool for subsequent letters of recommendation.

 

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Graduate Student Researcher

Appointments
This position varies in percentage, usually between 40-50%, with a 50% rate of $7,540/semester at step 3. These positions are usually supported by money from a professor's grant, with hours somewhat more flexible than those of Graduate Student Instructors.

Fee Remission
There is also a partial or full fee remission which is determined by the percent time of the appointment.

Appointment Steps
As with the Graduate Student Instructor, there are raises in pay earned through time in step.

In the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, the Museum of Paleontology, and the University Herbarium, Graduate Student Researchers are generally hired at 50%, and are sometimes referred to as Curatorial Assistants, but are still hired and paid as Graduate Student Researchers.

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University Fellowships

Funding from the University such as the Berkeley Fellowship or the Graduate Opportunity Fellowship is administered by the Graduate Division.

For a complete list of the fellowships available, the criteria for the award and the application deadline, please see the Graduate Division's Financial Aid web page.

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Extramural Fellowships

Investigate these at least one year before you intend to use them since the application process for most of them is quite lengthy. In some cases, e.g., the National Science Foundation Fellowship, you must apply early in your career before you have too many graduate units to be eligible.

A full list is available from the Graduate Fellowships Office, as well as applications for some of the major awards such as NSF.

You can apply for some extramural fellowships through the IB Grants Office in 3040 VLSB. With your mentor's approval, the department will help you submit proposals for NASA and NSF Fellowships.

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Financial Aid

The Graduate Financial Aid Office is located at 201 Sproul Hall (642-0485). U.S. citizens or students who hold immigrant visas may apply for need-based loans, grants and work study awards.

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IB Support

The Department has limited funds available to cover student research and travel expenses. You may apply for up to $300 per fiscal year to support dissertation research and up to $200 for travel money to meetings at which you are presenting a poster or paper.

Applications for both types of funding are available online, click on Applicaton for Research and Travel Funds (GRAC).

Research Funds
The purpose for which funds will be used should be integral to the dissertation research, "side" projects will not be supported. Appropriate expenses include:

  • supplies
  • small items of equipment
  • costs associated with field research

Applications should be addressed to the Chair of the GRAC and should include a brief description of the proposed research, a budget, and a justification for the proposed use of Departmental funds.

Travel Funds
Intended only for travel to scientific meetings at which you are presenting a poster or paper. You may request up to $200 per fiscal year to help defray travel and lodging costs while attending.

Applications should be submitted to the Chair of the GRAC and must be submitted prior to the meetings for which the funds are requested.

The application must include an official confirmation that the poster or paper has been accepted for presentation.

IB 299 Funds
 These funds are made available to each laboratory. A certain amount is given for each graduate student and it is used with the approval of the professor in charge of the lab. For more information, see guidelines for use of 299 funds.

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