Financial Support
The department has control over a moderate level of support which it distributes on the combined factors of merit and need. You can get financial support information at the Graduate Division's homepage: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/financial/. There you will find information about campus competitions and deadlines, National Fellowship Competition Announcements, hot links to funding sources and databases, and access to the IRIS database, including search capability.
Employment
All employment is now processed electronically. If you anticipate getting employed anytime while you are here on campus, please keep the following in mind: Federal law requires employers to certify that everybody they hire is legally entitled to work in the U.S. This law applies to everyone - native-born American citizens as well as immigrants, foreign visitors, and naturalized citizens. If you intend to work for pay for any employer, either on or off campus, you must provide documentation of your eligibility to work before you can be hired or re-hired. No one will be hired or re-hired at UCSB for any position, including academic appointments (Teaching Assistants, Graduate Student Researchers, etc.), without proof of eligibility to work. To avoid delays in hiring dates, late checks, etc., be prepared to show appropriate papers when you arrive on campus.
Merit-Based Support
Application Deadline (Continuing Students):
Fellowships provide funds to support the living and educational expenses of graduate study. If you apply for this merit-based assistance, your application will be judged on the basis of the quality of your previous academic work, on the evidence of your ability to do research and other creative accomplishments, and on your promise of becoming a productive scholar. Except in unusual circumstances, applications for fellowships are considered only once a year; awards are made for the academic year beginning with the fall quarter. Fellowships can come in the form of a 4-year guarantee of support (Regents Special Fellowship, Eugene-Cota Robles Fellowship, Doctoral Scholars Fellowship), a 1-year fellowship (Graduate Opportunity Fellowship), or as payment of fees and non-resident tuition (Block Grant). If your fellowship includes the payment of fees and/or tuition, payments will be credited directly to your billing account prior to payment deadlines. Read the award letter carefully and contact the department if you have questions.
Supplementation Policy
Theoretically, students who have been awarded fellowships have won awards that enable them to spend the majority of their time studying. Additional financial need should be minimal and easily covered by quarter-time employment that will not impede progress to the degree. The supplementation policy, therefore, is designed primarily to ensure that excess employment will not impede fellowship holders' graduate studies and, second, to encourage a distribution of university support funds among the best students. The rule of thumb, unless specifically stated, is that the maximum dollar amount a student may earn from the university during the academic year may not exceed the amount of a full fellowship, plus fees (excluding nonresident tuition), plus a 25% teaching assistantship (Summer earnings are not counted into the supplementation policy).
Graduate Student Academic Appointments
Academic appointments are the single largest component of graduate student support at UCSB. Appointments are also a key element of graduate training and an opportunity for mentorship by UCSB faculty. Graduate student titles include: Graduate Student Researchers (GSR), Teaching Assistants (TA), Associates, and Tutors. To be eligible for any appointment, students must be:
- currently registered graduate students, enrolled in at least 8 units (the department requires 12 units)
- in good academic standing (i.e., 3.0 GPA and fewer than 12 units of Incomplete/NR/NG grades), not on academic probation or subject to dismissal
- chosen for academic appointment on the basis of high scholastic standing
- certified as having language proficiency in spoken English if their native language is not English. Detailed procedures about the ELPE, “Minimum Proficiency Requirements in Spoken and written English,” and the TA Language Evaluation Exam are outlined under English as a Second Language (ESL) on the graduate application webpage www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/application/ , <http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/application/>, and on the international student webpage at www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/international/.
Appointments or combined appointments are limited to 50% time (15-20 hours per week) during the academic terms. The Department chair may ask for an exception for a graduate student to be compensated to a maximum of 75% for total service on campus. Per Graduate Council policy, exceptions to appointment percentage can only be considered if the student is within the major program's normative time and should be submitted for the approval of the Graduate Dean in advance of the appointment. The 50% time restriction will apply without exception for most international students, dependent upon their visa type or country of origin (consult OISS, http://www.oiss.ucsb.edu/, or Graduate Division for details). All continuing students may work 100% time during the summer.
Teaching Assistantships
A TA is chosen for excellent scholarship and for promise as a teacher and serves an apprenticeship under the active tutelage and supervision of a regular faculty member. Teaching Assistantship awards for the following academic year are made in March-April (only those who receive TA support will be notified). Normally we support between 25-30 graduate students each year on full (50% time) or partial (25% time) Teaching Assistantships. Teaching Assistantships provide financial assistance as below (all figures are gross salary):
| 25% TA | 50% TA | |
| Monthly Salary | $837.92 | $1,675.84 |
| 1 quarter | $2,513.76 | $5,027.52 |
| 2 quarters | $5,027.52 | $10,055.04 |
| 3 quarters | $7,541.28 | $15,082.56 |
Pay Periods: Fall: Oct 1 - Dec 31 / Winter: Jan 1 - Mar 31 / Spring: Apr 1 - Jun 20
TAs must be registered graduate students. You must take Geography 500 (T.A. Training) in order to be a TA (during your first quarter here, you will be allowed to TA as long as you are enrolled in Geography 500 at the same time).
Teaching Assistants are paid once a month on the first of the month, for service rendered the preceding month. If you begin in Fall Quarter, your first paycheck will be issued on November 1. You may opt to extend your appt over 4 months instead of 3, and get your first paycheck on October 1, for fall quarter only. You may borrow up to the amount of your first paycheck, 30 days prior to the date of your first paycheck through the TA loan program. To apply for a TA loan, obtain proof of your employment from the department and take that to the Financial Aid Office.
The total length of service rendered in any one or any combination of the following titles may not exceed four years [12 quarters]: Reader on annual stipend, Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow, and/or Associate. Under special circumstances, the Chancellor, upon recommendation of the department chairperson and the dean of the school of college, may authorize a longer period, but in no case for more than six years [18 quarters].
Teaching Assistantship awards may be renewed after careful review of actual teaching performance. Such positions entail duties related to upper division course laboratory sections and discussion sections of lower division Physical Geography and Human Geography. The department believes that teaching experience is a valuable part of graduate education and strives to allow each student some T.A. service. At least one quarter of teaching assistant or equivalent experience is required of all Ph.D. students.
UAW Bargaining Agreement for Academic Student Employees (ASE)
The University has reached a three-year tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) covering terms and conditions of employment for Teaching Assistants, Readers, Tutors, Associates and other specified ASEs. The tentative agreement was reached on December 3, 2003. Because ASE bargaining units are campus-based, the agreement will result in a separate contract for each of the eight general campuses, though the contract language will be essentially identical. The contract, expiring September 30, 2006, will clarify the working relationship between faculty and ASEs and will preserve and protect the academic judgment of the faculty. http://www.ucop.edu/humres/labor/agreement.html
A few significant highlights of the agreement are listed below:
Appointment Notification: The University has agreed to provide ASEs with a written notice of appointment shortly after hiring decisions are made. However, the contract does not place any restrictions on when hiring decisions must be made. The University also has agreed to provide supplemental documentation to teaching assistants setting forth the details of the assignment and any significant changes during the term.
Fee Remission: The fee remission applies to the Registration Fee and Educational Fee, not to campus-based miscellaneous fees, and continues to apply only to those ASEs with an appointment of 25% or more in an eligible academic title.
Grievance and Arbitration: ASEs may grieve and arbitrate all alleged contract violations except for disputes regarding workload. That is, an ASE may file a written complaint with the University regarding alleged contract violations, which ultimately could be resolved by a third-party neutral arbitrator. However, the contract states specifically that the arbitrator shall not have authority to "review any academic judgment."
The arbitration provision contains a bifurcation clause which allows the University to contest the arbitrability of a claim before a hearing is held on the merits of the claim itself. This bifurcated process will reduce the need for faculty to appear at arbitration hearings. In addition, in most cases, an arbitrator's ability to order a monetary remedy is limited to payment of lost wages.
Management and Academic Rights: Decisions regarding who is taught, what is taught, how it is taught and who does the teaching are specified in the contract as academic judgments. These judgments are reserved to the sole discretion of the University and are not subject to grievance and arbitration procedures. The contract also affirmatively preserves the University's right to recruit, hire, schedule, assign and evaluate ASEs and to "exercise sole authority on all decisions involving academic matters." These rights may be challenged by ASEs (not applicants for ASE positions) only if the challenge is linked to an alleged violation of another provision of the contract.
Non-Discrimination: The contract precludes discrimination and allows an ASE to grieve and arbitrate such allegations. However, in doing so, the ASE would be required to waive rights to pursue such a claim in state or federal court.
No Strikes: The contract precludes ASEs from striking for the duration of the contract.
Wages: Wage increases consist of an immediate 1.5 percent salary range adjustment (not applicable to Summer Session). Range adjustments will be provided in October 2005 consistent with State allocations, currently anticipated to be 2 percent each year. Additionally, the minimum hourly rate for tutors has been increased to $10.35.
Waiver: In general, this article relieves the University during the term of the contract from its obligation to bargain with the union, except under certain limited circumstances. For example, the University has to negotiate regarding the "impact" of changes in working conditions when the changes "significantly affect the working conditions of a substantial number of employees in the bargaining unit."
Workload: Consistent with existing UC policy, this article allows the University to assign a TA a "workload" of up to 220 hours per quarter (340 per semester). Workload is not measured strictly by actual hours worked. Rather, it is measured by how many hours the University could reasonably expect it to take a TA to satisfactorily complete the work assigned. In some cases, a TA may work more than 220 hours, but still not violate the provision. However, this would be the exception and not the rule. Under the contract, workload is limited to an assignment of 40 hours in a week, and the number of hours a TA is assigned in excess of 20 in a week may not exceed 50 in a quarter (77 in a semester). Workload disputes are not subject to the grievance and arbitration process. Rather, the contract provides for internal dispute resolution using Academic Senate faculty, not outside arbitrators. ASEs are encouraged to first raise concerns regarding workload with their supervisor. In the event an ASE feels a violation has occurred, the ASE may file a written complaint with the department head (or designee). If not satisfied with the result at that level, the ASE may move the complaint to a person designated by the Chancellor at each campus. If still not satisfied, the ASE or union may appeal the decision to a panel of two members of the Academic Senate - one each selected by the union and University. If these two Senate members are deadlocked, they select a third panel member to assist in resolving the dispute. This third person must be a member of the Academic Senate and have expertise as a neutral in labor-management dispute resolution and faculty governance. The panel's decision is final and binding and not subject to grievance or arbitration.
Graduate Student Researchers (GSR)
A GSR is a graduate student who assists faculty members with scholarly research. GSRs are selected for high achievement and promise as creative scholars; they may collaborate in the publication of research results as determined by supervising faculty members. GSRs may not be assigned teaching, administrative or general assistance duties. Between 30 and 40 GSR appointments are available each year, depending on the level of extra-mural support the department has received through proposals submitted by the faculty. Generally, these are given to students after one year in residence, but occasionally may be provided on initial enrollment. GSR appointments are arranged on an individual basis between the student and a faculty member who is a Principal Investigator on a grant, and generally cannot be "applied" for like one would a Teaching Assistantship or Fellowship. A graduate student must be registered in the spring to be eligible for a summer GSR appointment.
The department expects that students about to embark on thesis/dissertation research will work with their faculty advisor on research proposals in order to secure this form of support if it is not already available.
GSR appointments provide financial support as follows (October 1, 2002 salary scale):
| GSR Level | Monthly | Hourly | Department Policy* |
| Step I | $2,573.00 | 14.79 | 1st year M.A. |
| Step II | $2773.00 | 15.94 | 2nd year of > M.A. |
| Step III | $3,075.00 | 17.67 | 1st year Ph.D. w/M.A. |
| Step IV | $3,322.00 | 19.09 | 2nd year of > Ph.D. |
| Step V | $3,543.00 | 20.36 | Advanced to Candidacy |
*These are Department of Geography guidelines only (P.I.'s are not required to follow them). Other departments/ORUs are not required to follow them.
GSRs must be registered graduate students and are paid once a month on the first of the month. GSRs using a work-study allocation must be hired on an hourly rate.
Employment Benefits for TAs & GSRs
Employment at different percentages as a TA or GSR includes certain employment benefits. Most notably, payment of the Graduate Student Health Insurance Premium (GSHIP), partial fee remission, or payment of full fees and nonrsesident tuition where applicable. The table below indicates the most common combinations of employment and the benefits associated with them for the current academic year (2007/2008):
| 24% TA or GSR or below |
No GSHIP, no remission |
| 25% TA & 25%GSR combination | GSHIP, full fees |
| 25% to 34% TA or GSR | GSHIP, full fees |
| 50% TA & 25% GSR | GSHIP and partial fee remission (100% of the education and registration fee only) |
| 35% GSR & 25% TA combination | GSHIP, full fees, nonresident tuition where applicable |
| 35% GSR and over | GSHIP, full fees, nonresident tuition where applicable |
| 50% GSR | GSHIP, full fees, nonresident tuition where applicable |
*100% of the education and registration fee only, which = $2,511.70 (resident) and $2,600.70 (non-resident) for Fall 2007. NOTE: The salary and remissions quoted above are consistent with the terms of the current contract for Fall 2007 only. Please be aware that future wages, terms, and conditions are subject to modification based on the collective bargaining process.
Reader
Graduate Reader ($11.53/hr) - Readers are assigned by the department and by a faculty member for assistance in classroom work (normally grading exams, papers). Usually, not more than five hours per week are involved.
Student Assistant Series
Employment on campus funds (Instructional Development/Academic Senate grants) frequently requires that the student not be hired as a GSR because there are no funds to pay fees or nonresident tuition. Positions in the Assistant series are temporary and less than 50% time or temporary and up to 100% time during summer and quarter breaks. Positions classified within the Assistant series are reserved for registered undergraduate and graduate students. Work assignments range from simple, routine and repetitive tasks to complex assignments requiring extensive academic training and/or technical expertise. This series is characterized by the temporary nature of appointments, the general absence of continuing responsibility for work performed, and the diversity of duties which may be assigned. The Assistant series consists of four levels, with the distinction between levels based on the relative degree of difficulty inherent in the manual, clerical, administrative, advising, public contact, technical, professional, and/or research related duties performed. Students in the Assistant series receive hourly pay for time worked. The departmental policy on the hiring of Assistants is as follows:
| Assistant I | 6.75 - 8.75/hr | General undergraduate employment |
| Assistant II | 7.25 - 10.50/hr | Talented upper division undergrads |
| Assistant III | 8.25 - 12.50/hr | M.A. students |
| Assistant IV | 9.39/hr - | Ph.D. students with M.A. |
Need-Based Financial Support
Graduate students may apply for a variety of need-based awards, including work-study and loans through the Financial Aid Office and Need-Based Fee Fellowships through the Department. Students must file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year by the March 2nd deadline and provide the Financial Aid Office with supplemental information as they request it. The FAFSA is available on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov or in hard copy at the Financial Aid Office, (805) 893-2432.
Tax Information
Information and a general discussion of the federal and California state tax status of common sources of graduate student income can be found at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/financial/Taxmemo.shtml. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional tax advice regarding specific individual problems. Students should review available tax materials and make their own decisions about reporting of income, excluding income from taxation, and filing required tax forms. All salaries are taxable income. All gross earnings are reported to both the federal and state tax services. The university is not required either to withhold federal or California state tax or to report fellowship income to the IRS or state tax service. Individuals are required to report this income themselves and to makeany necessary arrangements with the IRS and state tax services to make estimated quarterly tax payments on fellowship income.
Establishing Residency
Since out-of-state residents must pay over $14,700 each year in tuition in excess of what California residents pay each year, California residency is valuable. The Office of the Registrar, using information provided by the student, determines the residency of new students. Out-of-state students who are U.S. citizens cannot expect more than one year of support, since one year on campus is normally sufficient to establish California residence. http://www.registrar.ucsb.edu/residenc.htm
There are three basic components of the residency determination process:
1. Physical presence: has the student lived here for at least a year and a day?
2. Financial independence: A student is considered "financially independent" if one ore more of the following applies: 1) is at least 24 years of age by Dec 31 of the year the applicant requests residence classification, 2) is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, 3) is a ward of the court or both parents are deceased, 4) has legal dependents other than a spouse, 5) is married, or a graduate student or professional student, and will not be claimed as an income tax deduction by his or her parents or any other individual for the one calendar year immediately preceding the term for which the request for resident classification is made, 6) is a single undergraduate student and was not claimed by his or her parents or any other individual for the two years immediately preceding the term for which the request for resident classification is made.
3. Intent: Has the student demonstrated intent to make California his or her permanent home? Relevant proof of intent includes: obtaining a CA driver's license and registering your motor vehicle in CA; obtaining a CA identification card; registering to vote and voting in CA elections; using a CA address on W-2 forms and tax returns; paying CA income tax as a resident; establishing and maintaining active bank accounts in CA; registering with the Selective Service in CA; owning residential property or continuously occupying rented or leased property in CA; the presence of spouse, children or other close relatives in CA or obtaining a divorce in CA; applying for loans, scholarships, grants from a CA source. These steps should be taken immediately upon arrival at UCSB, before the first day of classes!!!!
Your actions during the entire academic year as well as your actions during the summer will affect the determination that is made regarding your residence status for tuition purposes. Students may contact the Office of the Registrar (x3033) for counseling on residency questions. The final authority on residency matters rests with the Campus Residence Deputy in the Office of the Registrar. Students who leave the state, either on leave of absence or with lapsed status, have to file a residency statement when they return or reapply.
Graduate Student Travel Funds are available to students advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D., D.M.A., or M.F.A. who have been invited to present a research paper at a scholarly meeting or to present the results of research before a distinguished audience. Students are eligible to receive support for one trip during their scholarly career. Applicants must be registered or on an approved leave of absence. Students in joint degree programs are eligible for one-half of the regular allocation. Student applications for travel funds must be accompanied by an abstract of the paper to be presented, a copy of the formal invitation, and a letter of support from the student’s advisor indicating the importance of the forum. Funds are limited; applications are accepted year-round until funds are expended or May 15, whichever occurs first. For information, consult www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/#fn (http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/#fn). Monies are available for transportation at the maximum fund limitation:
| California | $350 |
| All other US Locations, Mexico, Canada | $685 |
| Puerto Rico, Europe | $1,030 |
| Central or South America | $1,200 |
| Asia, Africa, Middle East, South Pacific | $1,400 |
Participation on Department and Campus Committees
GSA Representative and Campus Committees: The Graduate Students Association (GSA) is the elected representative government for UCSB graduate students. They work to: (1) ensure that graduate student concerns are addressed in campus and off-campus policy decisions, 2) provide graduate students with information concerning decisions that are relevant to student life and 3) provide social activities for UCSB graduate students. As a GSA representative (the department has two representatives), you have a large voice in establishing the concerns of graduate students and articulating these concerns to the administration. We have an active graduate program, a lot of committed people and energy. If you can't be the department representative, then be sure to sign-up to sit on one of the numerous campus committees that shape life here at UCSB. Examples include:
- Academic Freedom Committee
- Alcohol & Drug Task Force
- Campus Planning Committee
- Financial Aid Advisory Committee
- GSA Teaching Assistant Awards Selection Committee
- Graduate Council
- Natural Reserve System Committee
- Program Review Panel (modest stipend)
- Student Affairs Council (modest stipend)
Department Committees
The AAG Organizing Team: (4) - crafts a department plan for trying to recruit students at the annual meeting and attends the conference.
Coffee: (3-9) - Members purchase and make coffee for each week's Colloquiua.
Colloquia Committee: (2) - Attend several meetings throughout the school year, especially during the first quarter, to assist in planning the Colloquiua series and contacting potential speakers. They also solicit suggestions and requests for speakers from the graduate students and present those to the committee.
Ellison Hall Sustainability Committee: (4-6) - Members make sure that recyling bins on each floor are monitored and emptied as necessary into the man collection bins at Buchanan.
Events Committe: (3-6) - Members help to organize 3 departmental functions: the beginning of year party, the holiday party, and the end of year party, and they plan social activities for graduate students throughout the year and during Staff Celebration Week.
Search Committee: (2) - Provides insight from the student perspective on candidates for faculty positions.
Visability/Outreach: (3) - Assist with providing guidance for the positive public presence of the department and helps recruit students.
