Financial aid to graduate students is granted to carry out teaching, research or service tasks in the department and are called assistant-ships. The Department offers a limited number of assistantships and these are awarded based on the availability of funds and the following priorities:
- PhD students.
- Master of Science Students – Plan 1.
- Master of Engineering Students – Plan 2.
Assistantships are not normally offered to Master of Engineering students – Plan 3. Students who already belong to the department and who have done satisfactory work when they have been awarded assistantsships take priority over new students.
Teaching assistantships are granted to teach courses, laboratories or correct work in a course that has an excess of students. Research grants are awarded to work on research projects that have been awarded to department professors and that have funds for graduate students. Normally the original funds for research come from outside the University and for this reason, most of the research assistantships come from external funds. Assistantships for services are granted to carry out support tasks, for example, publishing editions or attention to computer centers or laboratories.
The monthly amount paid for the assistantships varies with the number of credits assigned, with the assigned task and with the academic preparation.