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Graduate teaching assistantship

The Department supports several graduate teaching assistantships. Continuing students wishing to obtain a graduate teaching assistantship should indicate their interest to their faculty advisor by October of the preceding academic year, if possible, to allow for planning. Decisions about assistantships are typically made by the beginning of the Spring semester preceding the academic year of the TAship. Normally, for MS students, teaching assistantships are for one year, and renewal for a second year is contingent upon the student’s progress and performance. Extension of a teaching assistantship beyond two years is rarely granted. For Ph.D. students, teaching assistantships are for one year, and renewal for a second year and third year is contingent upon the student’s progress and performance.

Selection criteria for graduate teaching assistants are as follows:

  1. The department seeks to distribute graduate teaching assistantships across student advisees of different departmental faculty.
  2. Graduate teaching assistants must either have a complete application for matriculation on file with the Department’s Graduate Program or already be accepted into the
  3. Graduate teaching assistantships will be offered for one academic year. Renewal for more than one year will be at the discretion of the
  4. In making selections for Graduate teaching assistants, the faculty will take into account the following factors:
    1. Whether a student’s advisor has other advisees under TAships;
    2. evidence of successful teaching or tutoring experience;
    3. overall grade point average, grades within major, and grades for courses providing background for the teaching assistantship;
    4. recommendation letters on file;
    5. evidence of success in fieldwork, oral presentations or other experience.

All new graduate teaching assistants will need to meet the University and Department requirements for teaching assistants, and these may change from time to time — please consult with the graduate advisor. Students who receive an assistantship, and have also received a financial aid award, would be wise to contact the financial aid office immediately. All teaching assistants must register for GRAD 701S (no credit) and attend the TA training workshop, run by the Grad School, the week prior to the start of their first semester as a TA.

Teaching assistants will report directly to the course instructor to whom they are assigned. Their responsibilities to assist the course instructor may include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:

  • attending class and assisting, as needed, with distributing materials, setting up and operating audiovisual equipment;
  • conducting laboratory and/or discussion groups;
  • directing student study sessions;
  • assisting in the development of lectures, assignments, quizzes, examinations and laboratories and/or discussion groups;
  • proctoring examinations;
  • grading of class assignments, quizzes and examinations;
  • giving short presentations to the class, under supervision by the course

It is recommended that all graduate teaching assistants post their office hours in the hallway near their office door. TAs must take a minimum of six (6) credits per semester – on the other hand, they are limited to a maximum of twelve (12) credits per semester.

Although the Graduate School cannot police the policy, it is strongly recommended that students on assistantships do not seek employment, part- or full-time, during their assistantship. The Department supports this policy.

All graduate students holding an assistantship (teaching GTA or GRA) are considered ÁùºÏ±¦µä residents for tuition purposes. Non-resident tuition is only waived for the duration of the assistantship. To be eligible for an assistantship, students must be admitted to a degree-granting program and be in good academic standing. The student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and must be continuously enrolled in at least 6 graduate level credits (600-700) throughout the duration of the assistantship. State-funded assistantships (GTA/GRA) may be held for a maximum of: three (3) years for master’s degree students and five (5) years for doctoral degree students.