Conditions of Service

 Policies  > Graduate Student Assistantships > Conditions of Service

The following policies are applicable to all graduate student assistants; departments and colleges may prescribe additional conditions of employment.

1. Satisfactory progress, as defined by the college or department, must be made toward the degree.
2. Graduate student assistants must maintain full-time enrollment throughout the Fall/Spring terms.  The minimum full-time course load for graduate students during Fall/Spring terms is nine credit hours/term. 
   1. Enrollment during the summer term is not required for graduate student assistants.
   2. A reduced course load (less than full-time enrollment) due to an expected graduation in the last term of a program is allowed. While no petition is required for this exception, the student must submit an application to graduate through the student information system.  Students who fail to complete their degree requirements in the graduating term will be required to enroll full-time in subsequent Fall/Spring terms unless an exception is requested (see 2.c.)
   3. Requests for an exception to the graduate student assistant minimum enrollment requirements will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. These exceptions must be requested through a Graduate & Professional Student Petition and must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
3. Graduate student assistants must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (A=4.00).
4. Graduate student assistants are normally not allowed to teach courses which carry graduate credit and are not permitted to enroll in courses for which they are assigned assistantship responsibilities.
5. International graduate student assistants must successfully complete and achieve a satisfactory score on a speaking test of English before assuming actual teaching duties. (See section on Qualifications for Appointment.)
6. Graduate student assistants will not be assigned as instructors of record (i.e., having full responsibility for a course) until they have earned a master’s degree or its equivalent, have completed 18 graduate semester credit hours in their teaching field, or are enrolled in a doctoral program.
7. If student has applied to graduate, they cannot work past last day of the month for the official closing of the term.
8. Students are expected to be in compliance with these university policies through the duration of their assignment.
9. Exceptions to any of these conditions of service must have the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School via the General Petition Form for Graduate/Professional students.