Department Policies

Teaching Assistant Policies¶

Appointment to TA positions¶

University rules dictate that a student may serve as a teaching assistant (TA) for up to four years if entering the university without a Master’s degree; otherwise, the limit is three years. A student who enters the university with TA support will automatically receive TA support for a second academic year, as long as the student remains in good academic standing and has performed their TA duties in a satisfactory manner.

In order to receive TA support beyond two years, the student’s academic advisor(s) must petition the Graduate Program Committee in writing prior to the preferred application deadline (currently 5 January). The Graduate Program Committee’s decision to grant an additional year of TA support will be based on the student’s progress toward degree in relation to the program timeline, the availability of other funding, and performance of TA duties.

Current students who wish to be shifted onto TA support during the next academic year are subject to the same requirements as a student requesting TA support beyond two years. If new and continuing TA requests exceed the CAS-allotted number of positions, preference will be given to students advised by DAES faculty.

TA course assignments¶

Prior to the beginning of each semester, the Graduate Program Committee shall assign teaching assistants to specific courses. Priority will be given to courses based on enrollment, course workload, and special needs of the instructor. Teaching faculty will be polled about the expected duties for a TA and the expected number of hours of work per week. Typical TA duties include attending lecture, holding office hours, grading, assisting students with in-class activities, development of class materials, holding review sessions, and managing BrightSpace, but duties will vary based on the needs of the class. Faculty requests for particular skills and teaching assistants will be taken under advisement.

TAs are assigned to individual courses based on the following priority guidelines:

100–200 level courses:¶

Up to one TA per 100 students

300–400 level and required graduate (e.g., ATM 500, 504, 551) courses:¶

Courses that include a lab session
Medical limitations of the instructor
Courses with significant one-on-one instruction time, or courses where the TA provides substantial day-to-day instructional support beyond the typical TA duties (i.e., office hours, grading, attending class)
Course enrollment

Research Assistant Policies¶

RA duties¶

Research assistants (RAs) are employees of the Research Foundation (RF) and are paid to assist their advisor(s) with research related to a grant. DAES and ASRC use the following general job description for all RAs, but specific duties will vary based on the requirements of the grant and type of research conducted:

This position provides research support to the DAES/ASRC student working under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI). Students will carry out tasks in conformance with the requirements of the research project grant they are funded by and as directed by the PI. Activities will vary and may be carried out in the laboratory, workstation, library, or the field as described in the grant proposal description. Incumbents exercise initiative, creativity, judgment, collaboration, and discretion in performance of these activities.

RA performance¶

Continuation of RA funding from year to year is dependent on the satisfactory performance of grant-related research duties by the student and availability of funds. Advisors and students are strongly encouraged to discuss research expectations and funding each semester, and are required to do so at least once per year as per the Mentorship Guidelines.

If an advisor wishes to stop funding a student due to poor performance, they must meet with the Graduate Program Director, DAES or ASRC research administrator, and, potentially, an RF Human Resources representative to discuss the poor performance and design a 60-day performance improvement plan. The details of the plan will depend on the specific goals of the grant, but need to include a clear explanation of how the student’s performance has been unsatisfactory, specific tasks the student needs to achieve over the 60-day period to maintain funding, a meeting schedule for the 60-day period, and an explanation of what will happen (i.e., removal of funding and tuition support) if the tasks are not fulfilled. The 60-day period must conclude before the fall or spring semester drop deadline for classes.

Residency¶

U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required promptly establish New York State residency upon arrival, https://www.albany.edu/cost-aid/residency-requirements, including getting a New York driver’s license, registering to vote, getting a bank account using their New York address, and placing a utility service (e.g., electricity, internet, etc.) in their name as soon as they arrive in Albany (i.e., before the start of the semester). Becoming a resident is important as, after the first year of study, any tuition scholarship will cover only the in-state New York resident rate.

For a typical student, who started the program during the fall semester, the deadline for submitting paperwork is 1 October of the student’s second academic year, but students are strongly encouraged to submit their application and supporting documents in May or June. Students should retain copies of their official UAlbany and DAES/ASRC offer letters as supporting documents.

Stipends and Effort¶

Stipend levels¶

There are three stipend levels depending on progress toward degree. The first level is for students who enter the program without an M.S. degree; the second level is for students who enter the program with an M.S., and those who earn an M.S. at UAlbany or pass the written exam, whichever comes first; finally, the third level is for students who have passed the Ph.D. prospectus and advanced to candidacy. The stipend amounts for 2025–2026 are $33,462, $35,135, and $36,808.

Expected effort¶

During the academic year, student stipends, whether as a GA, TA, or RA, are paid at a rate of 20 hours per week, as mandated by Human Resources. This stipend is paid for work related to:

TA duties (if state funded as a TA);
Research conducted in support of the grant funding them (if an RA); or,
the duties outlined by their supervisor (if a state-funded GA).

In addition to their paid TA, RA, or GA duties, students enrolled in classes and/or research credits (e.g., ATM 698, 699, 898, 899) are expected to engage in ~3 hours of schoolwork for each credit to further their education and/or conduct their thesis research (which may or may not align with their grant funding). The 20 hours per week academic year stipend is a standard set by Human Resources that indicates student status, and may contribute to, but is not in lieu of, the academic obligation (i.e., 3 hours per credit) that is required of graduate students to make progress towards their degree.

Students who have advanced to doctoral candidacy only register for one credit but are expected to maintain a similar level of effort toward completion of their degree. During the summer, graduate students are employees of the RF and are paid for 30 hours per week. Students should discuss these guidelines and expectations with their research advisor(s).

If a student wishes to pursue employment outside the University, they should discuss the matter with their advisor(s), to ensure secondary employment does not hinder degree progress.

Thesis Defense/Prospectus Times and Format¶

Scheduling¶

During the Fall 2025 semester, thesis defenses and prospectuses will take place in person and via Zoom on Fridays after 11:30 AM. Students must arrange their seminar time with the Graduate Program Director as early as possible on a first-come first-served basis. Available dates may be found on the department calendar. If a student wishes to present during Climate Group Meeting (11:30 AM–12:30 PM), they must seek approval from the group’s faculty advisor, Prof. Aiguo Dai. The DAES Graduate Program Director may grant an exception based on need for an alternative day. Outside of the academic year, thesis defense and prospectus may be scheduled anytime during regular business hours.

Announcements¶

Students should email the RGSO Webmaster, Kaiden Sookdar (ksookdar@albany.edu), to have their presentation added to the calendar once their date is approved by Graduate Program Director.

Students must send their presentation abstract and a Zoom link to the Graduate Program Director at least one week before their scheduled presentation so that a timely announcement can be sent out.

Thesis Due Dates¶

In order to graduate in a particular academic term, the written thesis must be turned in to The Graduate School by the following dates:

Fall: 1 December
Winter: Friday before start of the spring semester
Spring: 1 May
Summer: 1 August

A maximum 10-day extension may be granted by The Graduate School via email petition by the thesis chair(s) to The Graduate School at etd@albany.edu.

Obtaining an M.S. Degree¶

A student who is admitted into the Ph.D. program may obtain an M.S. degree “along the way” by completing the degree requirements (either for Atmospheric Science M.S. or Climate Science M.S.), filling out the Supplemental Program Application form, and paying the $20 fee.

Research Credit Descriptions¶

ATM 698 (1–9 credits): M.S. research. This course can be taken by a student in the M.S. or Ph.D. program at any time and can be repeated multiple semesters. The appropriate grade is “S”.
ATM 699 (1–6 credits): Master’s thesis research credits. Any student who wishes to complete a Master’s thesis must complete at least six credits of this course. Should only be used if a student is going to submit a thesis to the Office of Graduate Studies. There is no limit on the total number of credits of this course. The appropriate grade is “I” for incomplete, which will change to “S” once the thesis is submitted and approved.
ATM 898 (1–9 credits): Ph.D. research. This course can be taken by a student in the PhD program at any time and can be repeated multiple semesters. The appropriate grade is “R”.
ATM 899 (One credit): One credit class for students who have obtained candidate status (Prospectus approved, 60 credits earned). The appropriate grade is “L”.

Transfer Credit Requests¶

Ph.D. students who have taken courses as a graduate student at another institution may transfer up to 30 credits. The Graduate Program Director will work with students to identify appropriate transfer credits and to file the necessary paperwork with The Graduate School. Up to six graduate credits from another institution may be applied to the 30 credits required for the Master’s degree.

International Travel¶

Students who are planning to travel internationally, for person or professional reasons, and will access University servers or accounts while they are overseas with their personal or advisor-supplied computer must register with, and have their travel approved by, the University and/or Research Foundation. Information about this registration and approval can be found at here and here.

Mentorship¶

Seeking out and cultivating productive, supportive advising and mentoring relationships is vitally important to the academic and professional success of graduate students. These relationships also enrich the culture of collaboration and scholarly enterprise within DAES, ASRC, UAlbany, and the greater atmospheric science community. Good mentoring and advising relationships require active participation and engagement from both the student and advisor/mentor. To achieve the goals of productive and equitable advising and mentoring across DAES and ASRC, mentorship guidelines are included here to provide a starting point for important conversations and a framework for advising to help both students and advisors achieve success.

Graduate Student Activity Reports¶

All students are required to submit a yearly graduate student activity form at the end of the Spring semester. The form (link sent by the Graduate Program Director each year) covers the concluding academic year and includes:

publications;
presentations (both oral and poster);
awards;
outreach, service, and engagement activities within/to the department/university, professional societies, the greater community, etc.;
a short description of progress toward degree; and,
a plan for progress towards degree and professional development during the next academic year.

This last section should be written in consultation with the student’s advisor(s) after meeting to evaluate progress and establish goals for the upcoming year. Students who fail to submit these reports are subject to sanctions by the Program Committee.

Office Space¶

Students who are registered for classes and/or being paid as a GA, TA,or RA will be provided desk space. Desk space will be allocated to optimize office diversity by the Graduate Program Director prior to the beginning of the fall semester. Office diversity is defined as a mixture of research concentrations, graduate student year, nationality, sex, and gender. Requests to move within an office or between offices may be sent year-round to the Graduate Program Director, and solicited by the Director at the end of the academic year. Requests will be considered based on urgency.

Appeals¶

A student may request a waiver from any of the DAES program policies by petitioning the Graduate Program Committee in writing. An exemption will be granted if a majority of committee members agree. If the Graduate Program Committee does not grant the request, the student may appeal to the DAES voting faculty, with a two-thirds vote required for the exemption to be granted.

Conflict Resolution Guidelines¶

Issues between students and advisor(s) or between students should be brought to the attention of the Graduate Program Director, who is responsible for making a good faith effort to develop a resolution. If the issue persists or the resolution is not deemed satisfactory, all parities may speak with the Department Chair and then the CAS Dean’s office.

Diversity and Inclusion¶

In order to foster an inclusive and equitable environment in DAES, the department has established a committee on Diversity and Inclusion (the IDC). Students may speak to any IDC member confidentially about any concern or issue related to the DAES workspace climate and/or their interactions with faculty, staff, or students. We encourage any behavior or instance that does not promote a respectful climate in DAES be brought to the attention of the IDC chair (Dr. Brian Tang) or any committee member. IDC members meet regularly with the UAlbany Office of Diversity and Inclusion and have been instructed on campus resources related to Title IX, counseling services, the Safe Space Program, and intercultural engagement, among others.

ETEC Behavior¶

ETEC is a public space with numerous outside groups, government officials, and prospective students in the building on a regular basis. DAES students are expected to be respectful of ETEC visitors and to be mindful of discussing topics or using language that violate the University’s Code of Student Conduct. In addition, ETEC has numerous, unique community spaces, including the Collaboratorium, where everyone should feel welcome to study, conduct office hours, perform group work, eat lunch, etc.. In each of these spaces, please practice self-awareness, respect personal privacy, and be aware of the volume of conversations.

If repeated problematic behavior is reported, disciplinary actions will be taken, which may include involving the student’s advisor or referral to the Office of Community Standards for a violation of the University’s Code of Student Conduct.

Students who use social networking sites and other forms of electronic communication should be mindful of how their communication may be perceived by fellow students, faculty, and colleagues. As such, students should make every effort to minimize visual or printed material that may be deemed otherwise inappropriate in a professional environment. To this end, students are encouraged to set all security settings to “private” and should avoid posting information/photos and using any language that could jeopardize their professional image. Statements on social media sites are easily taken out of context due to their short nature.