11.3 Selection and appointment

In the College of Public Health, graduate associates fall into two basic categories: those funded by CPH and those associated with specific research grants or faculty release time/start-up. Awards are on the basis of experience and academic performance as determined by the divisions. Doctoral students are generally given priority before master’s students.

The individual faculty members supervising sponsored projects select graduate associates to meet their own project requirements. The Office of Academic Programs and Student Services is responsible for obtaining information on the other sources of financial support likely to be offered to students (e.g., scholarships, etc.) and providing the student’s academic record, but does not make these hiring decisions. It is usually counterproductive to have competing offers for the same student to work on different projects, so some effort will be made to coordinate offers by the faculty supervisors.

Any student is free to express interest in GRA positions, and the faculty may also solicit applications. Some research projects require quite specific skills, and thus it is important for students to understand that GRA appointments are not simply a response to financial need or a reward for generally good academic performance (though both can be among the relevant criteria).

The availability of GRA positions depends heavily on research funding cycles. Although it is desirable to announce appointments for the following year in the early spring, it is frequently true that some appointments cannot be finalized until later.