Graduate Assistantships

Financial Support in the Department

Financial support in the Department of Systems and Computer Science is available in three forms:

1. University Graduate Assistantships. These positions carry a remission of tuition and the requirement that the student work 20 hours a week as a Teaching Assistant under the direction of the department, usually in support of department classes in beginning programming courses. These are often awarded very early in the application cycle. As a matter of policy, all entering graduate students are considered for such funding unless they state otherwise. A letter of interest addressed to the department chair, resume, and transcript are all that is required for consideration.
   Selection criteria include: undergraduate major, GPA, relevant work experience and communications skills.
2. Research Assistantships. These are funded by faculty research grants, which are almost always based on funds the faculty member has obtained to support his or her area of research. These are often awarded at different times in the application cycle, since grants are awarded at different times. The funds also expire at different times during the academic year, depending on the particular grant or contract. As a matter of policy, all entering graduate students are considered for such funding unless they state otherwise. A letter of interest addressed to the department chair,
   resume, and transcript are all that is required for consideration. Selection criteria include: undergraduate major, GPA, relevant work experience and communications skills.
3. Graduate School funded support. These funds are almost always handled entirely by the Graduate School. For more information on these funds, visit the graduate school website at www.gs.howard.edu.

You can also find scholarship and fellowship information online using resources such as the ACM scholarship database.