Who Offers Assistantships?
Graduate assistantships are provided by academic departments or individual faculty members. These positions offer financial support and generally involve research, teaching, or administrative responsibilities related to the graduate program.
Types of Assistantships
- Graduate Instructor Assistants: Instructor of Record with full teaching duties for undergraduate courses.
- Graduate Professional Assistants: Administrative, professional, or technical duties which support growth and knowledge related to the student's field of study and career preparations and are not directly involved with academic teaching or research. Examples include advising students, coordinating student services, librarian/archivist's duties, and data analytics.
- Graduate Research Assistants: Assist with research activities related to the student's academic program. Examples include conducting experiments, organizing and analyzing data, documenting research results, assist with publication preparation, and may present findings in publications or at conferences.
- Graduate Teaching Assistants: Assist with formal classroom and/or lab instructional duties related to the student's academic program. Examples include leading or assisting with lectures and discussions, managing laboratory sections, quizzes, tutoring, grading, and developing materials. May hold office hours.
Funding Details
- Prospective students should contact the department or relevant faculty members directly to inquire about available assistantships.
- Faculty can provide information on funding options and selection and eligibility criteria.
- The Graduate Education Office and the Graduate and International Admissions Office do not manage or fund assistantships.
- Assistantships adhere to Stipend X and are distributed based on a percentage of full-time employment (FTE). For example, a 50% FTE requires 20 hours of work per week.
How to Apply
Funding and assistantship opportunities are determined by each department, and receiving an assistantship is not guaranteed with admission.
When reaching out, it is advised to send a professional email outlining your qualifications and/or research interests, along with an updated resume or CV. Please allow at least 10 business days (Monday to Friday) for a response before following up.
To apply for an assistantship, contact the department for your degree program.
If you are unsure which department manages your degree program, you can find your department by viewing your degree in the program finder.