Teaching and research experiences are regarded as an integral aspect of the graduate training program. All doctoral students are required to serve as teaching fellows for two terms at the TF level 10 or 20, typically during years two and three. However, depending on the level of support available to individual research groups, some students may teach for additional terms. In no instance will a student teach for more than five terms during their first five years of study. Further, depending on how the student’s Ph.D. position is being funded, students may be required to work up to nineteen hours per week as a research assistant (which may or may not be directly related to their dissertation research). However, in no single term will a student be required to act as a research assistant (on matters unrelated to their dissertation) and/or teach more than a combined total of nineteen hours per week. In these situations, teaching responsibilities will be limited to ten hours per week.

During the first term of teaching, students must attend a training session conducted by the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. First-year students are encouraged to focus their efforts on course work and are not permitted to serve as teaching fellows.