Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Types of Graduate Student Assistantships


Policies  > Graduate Student Assistantships > Types of Graduate Student Assistantships

Teaching Fellow

Teaching fellows (TF) have direct student contact in a formal instructional setting and are charged with the primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit under the direct supervision of a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service training and planned and periodic evaluations. Teaching fellows are listed as the instructor of record. Appointments at this level normally imply advanced academic status and substantial prior college or university experience. For SACS compliance, TFs should possess at least a master’s degree in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline, direct supervision by a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service training, and planned and periodic evaluations. Graduate students employed as TFs are not allowed to be instructors of record for courses that carry graduate credit. Examples of duties may include, but are not limited to: classroom/laboratory teaching; recitations, lectures, developing syllabi and lesson plans; holding office hours; consulting on group projects, counseling students; tutoring; and leading student tours and field trips.

Teaching Assistant

Teaching assistants (TA) are graduate students who have direct student contact in a formal instructional setting but who do not have primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit; they perform under the instructor’s direct supervision and provide general assistance to the instructional process. Teaching assistants may not be listed as instructor of record though they may lecture.

Instructional Assistant (IA)

Instruction assistants (IA) are graduate students who do not have direct instructional duties but assist employing departments with academic courses, programs, projects, or other activities in support of the instructional process.

Research Assistants (RA)

Research Assistants are graduate students who are engaged in research activities (including but not limited to work in the lab or computer work) that support the research mission of the employing unit.

Graduate Assistants

  • Graduate assistants (GA)

    • Graduate students whose responsibilities may be administrative in nature or consist of other activities that do not generally fit within the RA, TF, TA, or IA job responsibilities. Please note that students employed in this category are considered part-time staff employees under the university personnel system and are thus not eligible for the same benefits as students employed in the TA, TF, and IA categories.

  • Graduate assistant non-exempt (GA-NE)

    • Graduate students employed in an hourly position and whose job responsibilities may be administrative in nature or consist of other activities that do not generally fit within the RA, RA-TE, TF, TA, or IA job responsibilities.

(The support of teaching represented by Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistants, and Instructional Assistants is intended to assist faculty instruction. The primary teaching responsibility of the university is vested in the faculty. Students are not allowed to enroll in courses for which they are assigned assistantship responsibilities.)

A graduate or professional student employed in a position with student contact  is required to meet the English language proficiency requirement described in the graduate assistantship Qualifications for Appointment .