Although not guaranteed, there are sometimes opportunities to serve as a Research Assistant. A small number of MRSD students have done research for hourly pay, if the lab/faculty member can provide that. Hiring decisions are made by the course instructors and/or the faculty who supervise the labs; the resultant income is helpful for groceries, books, etc, but is certainly not enough to cover tuition.
Another mechanism for conducting research is to request an independent study as a substitute for a technical elective. Students must work in advance to find their own faculty mentor/project, and provide the MRSD program with a strong justification as to why there are no courses at CMU that can meet their needs. Only one independent study can be conducted during MRSD, since the program is not a research-based program, and this approval is not granted lightly.