Graduate School creates new assistantships for veterans

March 5, 2015
Categories: General News Tags: Graduate School

The UNC Charlotte Graduate School has added a new opportunity to attract military veterans to enroll in one of its extensive list of master’s and doctoral degree programs. Beginning with the fall 2015 semester, the Graduate School is offering two graduate assistantships designated exclusively for veteran students. Each two-year assistantship is valued at $36,000 to $45,000 and includes full tuition, health insurance and an assistantship stipend.

Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Tom Reynolds, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, stated he hopes this incentive will lead to additional programs of support for veteran graduate students.

“UNC Charlotte already has a tremendous support structure for veteran students, but I’d like to see us doing even more,” Reynolds said. “When veterans seek graduate education, I’m going to do everything I can to make UNC Charlotte their destination of choice, and I’ll encourage the deans of our other seven outstanding colleges to find more ways to attract the best of this population of gifted young men and women. I’ll also seek external partners to support additional incentive programs.”

Reynolds pointed out that UNC Charlotte began in 1946 as the Charlotte Center to serve the higher education needs of returning World War II veterans. “This is our heritage and a big part of who we are,” Reynolds said.

The new assistantships are open to military veterans from any branch of service with an honorable discharge admitted to any UNC Charlotte master’s or doctoral degree program. UNC Charlotte offers nearly 100 graduate degree programs, including 21 doctoral programs. (See the listing of programs online).

The assistantships may involve either teaching responsibilities or assisting faculty with research projects. The award obligates the recipient to perform these duties up to 20 hours per week, and recipients may not be otherwise employed on or off campus. Recipients must enroll in at least six credit hours (typically two classes) each term.

The application deadline for the fall 2015 term is April 15. Details on the application process are on the Web. Apply to UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School and create a prospective student portal account.