Skip to main content
Department of Statistics

Support

The department offers several sources of funding for Ph.D. students.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (TAs)

The main function of the teaching assistant is to help the faculty with the teaching program. Half-time teaching assistant appointments carry responsibilities that require about 20 hours per week and run up to nine months, from mid-August through mid-May. Typically teaching assistants will be assigned to grade papers and provide tutorial assistance to students for one or more courses. Students with sufficient training in Statistics and fluency in English may be asked to serve as a lab instructor or as an instructor for a section of an undergraduate course. A statistics TA

  • directly participates in the teaching mission of the department as instructor of record, lab instructor, recitation leader, lab or lecture assistant, or has responsibilities in direct support of classroom instruction in the department, such as setting up labs or working in an instructional computer lab; or
  • provides general support to the teaching mission of the department.

Graduate Research Assistantships (RAs)

Several faculty members appoint students to research assistantships, normally in the second or later years of study. The function of the research assistant is to assist designated faculty members with their research or consulting programs. In each case, the specific duties and responsibilities of the research assistant will be determined by the supervisor. Research assistant appointments normally carry a 20-hour per week obligation and run for 12 months. A statistics RA

  • directly participates in the research mission of the department, or an on-campus or off-campus organization that is affiliated with the department, in the design of experiments, data collection, analysis or reporting of research results in the student’s field of study, where research may, but is not required to, contribute directly to the student’s thesis or dissertation; or
  • provides general support to the research mission of the department or discipline.

Graduate Industrial Traineeships (GITs)

Graduate industrial traineeships arise out of relationships between the department and local organizations or companies. The function of the industrial trainee is to assist designated industry researchers with their research, consulting and training programs. Industrial trainee appointments may require students to spend up to 20 hours per week during regular semesters (fall and spring) at the sponsoring industry. During summer sessions GITs may work full time up to 40 hours a week. Traineeships normally run for 12 months. Because of the department’s proximity to Research Triangle Park, there are many local companies with which students can train. Recent trainees have worked at:

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • GSK Pharmaceuticals
  • Duke Clinical Research Institute
  • SAS Institute
  • IQVIA
  • United Therapeutics

Graduate Fellowships (GFs)

  • Cox Fellowship: Fellowships are provided through the department’s Gertrude M. Cox Fellowship Fund and are awarded on the basis of academic excellence to either incoming or continuing students in statistics. The Cox Fellowship Fund was established to honor Miss Gertrude Mary Cox, the “first lady of the world of statistics.” Dr. Cox, a nationally recognized educator, organized the first Department of Statistics in the nation at NC State where she was instrumental in developing the internationally renowned Institute of Statistics. Her contributions as a teacher and researcher have brought great distinction to NC State in the field of statistics and high honors to herself from the scientific world. The fund will continue, in perpetuity, the significant contributions of this distinguished statistician through the professional accomplishments and personal lives of the young men and women who pursue graduate study in statistics at NC State. Cox fellows receive a nine-month stipend in addition to full waiver of tuition and fees. They carry no service obligation but fellows are expected to carry a full academic load and maintain a strong record.
  • SAS Fellowship: The SAS (JMP) Statistics Computational Fellowship is a three-year fellowship for statistics Ph.D. students that are interested in augmenting their graduate education with computer science courses and software development experience. It is worth $40,000 per year for three years. The fellowship is available to U.S. citizens and green card holders. Recipients are selected based on their academic performance in math and statistics courses and their general interests and skills in computational statistics. Candidates will be reviewed and selected by the department and then interviewed by SAS (JMP).
  • Mendenhall Fellowship: graduate awards from this endowment shall be made to a graduate student in the Department of Statistics who has demonstrated excellence in teaching of statistics. The recipient shall work on a special project which promotes course innovation or curriculum development as well as competent teaching. The award shall be for one year but may be renewable.
  • Other sources of funding: Students may be funded through other sources, including national fellowships (e.g., NSF), university fellowships (e.g., NC State Diversity Fellowships) or other fellowships that the department sponsors.

Training Grants

Training grants provide excellent support for Ph.D. students in biostatistics and bioinformatics. Currently, there are two training grants in the department: