Academic Standards
Assistants are expected to hold a 3.2 GPA. A yearly review of the assistant is done by the mentor and assistant. This review is comprehensive of coursework and research. If the mentor determines satisfactory performance is not met, then the assistant will be dropped from the program.
Recruitment, Selection, and Renewal of Ph.D. Students
Students are not automatically accepted by meeting the minimum requirements. Committee members will review and select the highest of applicants. A minimum or maximum number of students is not chosen each semester. The availability of doctoral research assistants is largely determined by available funding to support the position.
Workload
The workload for a doctoral research assistant is full-time for the duration of the appointment, including course requirements and research work. Research assistants will work with mentors to arrange vacation periods.
The Graduate Faculty considers a student who is pursuing a graduate study and holding a doctoral research assistant to be carrying the equivalent of a full-time workload (see course load) and therefore, discourages the practice of holding additional jobs which may interfere with satisfactory performance of assigned duties.
Course Load
Course load is chosen by the mentor and student. Course load will vary pending on the year of the degree and the progress the student has made. During the first year, a plan of study will be developed by the mentor and student and approved by the Supervisory Committee.
Duties
In addition to completing the directed class work, doctoral research assistants are responsible for working with their mentors on collaborative and independent research. The exact scope of this research will be determined each year by the mentor and research assistant.
It shall be the responsibility of each Doctoral Program Committee, in consultation with the cognizant department chairperson or program director, to draw up an agreement with each graduate assistant at the time of the appointment which shall specify the stipend, duration and method of payment, the assistant's duties, and the general conditions of employment.
The agreement shall be reviewed by the graduate assistant before it is signed by him/her and the chairperson of the Doctoral Program Committee. The Doctoral Program Committee upon the recommendation of the graduate assistant's faculty supervisor and/or the department chairperson/school director or unit director shall have the responsibility to review the assistant's performance and to terminate the appointment for failure to discharge satisfactorily the duties specified in the agreement.
Lengths of Appointments
Appointments are reviewed on a yearly basis. If satisfactory work is not completed, then an appointment is not guaranteed for the following year.
Stipends
Research assistants are typically paid the National Institutes of Health standard.
If you are interested in becoming a Doctoral Research Assistant, please contact us at unohk@unomaha.edu or unobiomechanics@unomaha.edu