Graduate Dean's Research and Creative Activities Assistantships

The College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 Graduate Dean’s Research and Creative Activities Assistantships (RCA Assistantships) for graduate students at Northeastern Illinois University. The goal of these awards is to give graduate students an extended opportunity to experience and participate in the conduct of a research or creative activity project with an NEIU faculty member.

The RCA Assistantship award provides support for the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. It includes one course tuition waiver per semester and a stipend of $300 per month for 10 hours per week of work conducting your research project or creative activity project under the supervision of a faculty mentor or assisting a faculty mentor with their research or creative activity project. The award also includes a research budget of up to $250. Students are eligible if they are graduate students in good standing in a degree program at Northeastern during the period of the award.

The awards will be contingent on available funding. 

Submission deadlines

There will be two opportunities to submit applications: an “early decision” deadline, and a “final application” deadline. Any unfunded early decision applications will be reconsidered for final application funding. Sufficient funding is available to consider all applications submitted by the final application deadline.

  • Early decision deadline: Due date for applications: June 19, 2023
  • Awards announced: June 27, 2023
  • Award period: Fall 2023-Spring 2024

OR

  • Final application deadline: Due date for applications: Aug. 7, 2023
  • Awards announced: Aug. 15, 2023
  • Award period: Fall 2023-Spring 2024

Eligibility

Graduate students who are in good standing in a degree program at Northeastern during the period of the award are eligible. Awards are contingent on students enrolling in at least one graduate-level course in the fall and spring terms.

Application Process 

Submit the following materials in PDF format to graduatestudies@neiu.edu.

  • Copy of the student’s NEIU full transcript (unofficial transcript is acceptable) including both undergraduate and graduate level, if the student did undergraduate work here;
  • CV or resume (optional);
  • One-two page outline of the research or creative activity project and plan, including a description of what will be produced. The first paragraph should be a lay summary of the project and plan. Due to COVID-19 concerns, proposed projects should include adequate precautions to ensure the safety of the participants.
  • Annotated budget up to $250 for research or creative activity support (if requesting this support);
  • Letter of recommendation for the student from the faculty member mentoring the student on the research/creative activity project, including a description of any objectives for the student’s growth experience as an RCA Graduate Assistant that complement the project plan.

​Award process

A group of faculty solicited by the CGSR Dean will review the applications and budget proposals, and make its recommendations to the CGSR Dean. The committee encourages projects that develop the professional skills of the graduate assistant as well as further the research or creative activity itself. 

Deliverables

The student will present in the spring at the Dr. John Sargon Albazi Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium and will submit a 1-2 page research summary by the end of the spring term.

Please contact graduatestudies@neiu.edu with any questions about this assistantship opportunity.