A number of assistantships and fellowships are available each year to incoming students. Applicants who ask to be considered for an award are automatically considered for both assistantships and fellowships. The Department does not ordinarily offer financial aid to students who intend to work only for the A.M. or M.S. degree.
For 2008-2009, the teaching assistantships carry a stipend of $2109 per month for the nine-month academic year. Tuition and fees are paid for the recipient in addition to this award. First-year graduate teaching assistants usually enroll in three courses per semester and are assigned duties of approximately 15 hours per week, normally assisting with the general physics courses. Excellent opportunities exist for summer employment as research assistants after the first academic year. Most students resume their teaching assistantships in their second academic year, before joining a research group and embarking on their dissertation research project.
Research assistantships are available to advanced students and to first-year students with special experience. The work performed is applied toward the completion of the research requirement for the degree. For 2008-2009, research assistants receive a twelve-month stipend of $25,877 plus tuition and fees.
Incoming students for 2008-2009 are eligible for the James B. Duke Fellowship, which is a four-year award by the University and carries a stipend supplement of $4,000 per year, plus full tuition and fees. This is in addition to the regular stipend listed above, and for the first year often involves some teaching duty relief. This will be determined before an offer is made. Typically students are supported by research assistantships during the summer months, yielding an additional $6.477. Winners of these awards are chosen in a university-wide competition. Charles H. Townes Teaching Fellowships and Physics Department Fellowships are also available. These are two-year awards granted by the department and provide at least an additional $3,000 per year.
For the 2008-2009 Academic Year, the Graduate School will pay the health insurance premium (at the single person rate) for those students who select Duke Health Insurance. This is worth about $1,750.
A note about tax burden: The stipend (and any other fees included) listed here will be part of your gross pay from Duke. Your actual take-home pay will depend upon your personal tax situation and cannot be estimated here. Students from different countries and/or different family situations will be responsible for different tax commitments. In addition, Duke policy dictates that no fees or tuition may be charged to research grants. Therefore, at the time that you become a research assistant, your tax burden may change from what it was as a teaching assistant.