GRAD STUDIES Grad Assistant Info

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Graduate Assistant Information

Graduate Assistant Policy.

FAQ regarding Graduate Assistantship.

How to apply for Graduate Assistantship.

Graduate Assistant Agreement form.

POLICY GOVERNING GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

I. ACADEMIC STANDARDS :

The Graduate Assistantship is intended as an award to students who have demonstrated high academic performance and potential either at the graduate or undergraduate level.

Graduate Assistants must be students in good standing in a degree or certificate program in the Graduate College. Dismissal from a graduate program for any reason shall result in simultaneous dismissal from any Graduate Assistantship position. The student will not be eligible for an Assistantship thereafter until fully reinstated in a graduate degree or certificate program.

II. RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND RENEWAL OF GRADUATE ASSISTANTS :

Each Graduate Department/School or other departmental unit as appropriate which awards Graduate Assistantships, shall establish its own procedures for recruitment and selection in accordance with University policy on affirmative action/equal opportunity.

Assistantships are not automatically renewable and are dependent upon assessment of work and classroom performance. The student is reminded that, whether or not outside work commitments are involved, graduate assistantships may not be renewed if either graduate class work or assistantship duties are not carried out in a satisfactory manner.

III. WORKLOAD :

The workload for a Graduate Assistant should average 20 hours per week for the duration of the appointment and shall be construed to be the equivalent of .33 FTE.

The department/school or unit in which the Graduate Assistant is employed should make arrangements with its assistants regarding vacation periods. The Graduate Faculty considers a student who is pursuing graduate study and holding a graduate assistantship to be carrying the equivalent of a full-time workload (see course load below) and therefore, discourages the practice of holding additional jobs which may interfere with satisfactory performance of assigned duties.

IV. COURSE LOAD :

Graduate Assistants are expected to carry a minimum of six graduate hours in each of the Fall and Spring semesters; however, Graduate Assistants working in the Summer semester are not required to be concurrently enrolled.

Graduate Assistants may not register for more than 12 semester hours without the approval of both their supervisor and the Graduate Dean. The graduate assistantship will not pay for more than 12 semester hours in a semester.

The six-hour minimum may be waived if the student is in the last semester of graduate work and needs less than six hours of graduate credit in order to complete requirements for graduation. For doctoral candidates, the six-hour minimum enrollment also may be waived with the approval of their supervisor and Graduate Dean, if all required course hours except dissertation have been completed. In either case, students still must register for one course.

V. DUTIES :

Duties assigned to Graduate Assistants should be directly related to and in support of graduate studies in their chosen field of study. Typical examples would be one or more of the following:

1. Teaching courses or discussion sections at the undergraduate level.

2. Instructing and supervising undergraduate level laboratories or tutorial sections.

3. Grading or otherwise evaluating performance of undergraduate students.

4. Collecting and/or processing research data for faculty members.

5. Preparing materials for laboratories or classroom presentations.

6. In general, other duties which involve a direct knowledge and application of knowledge related to the student's field of study would be acceptable. Graduate Assistants should not be utilized solely for clerical duties.

[ It shall be the responsibility of each Graduate Program Committee, in consultation with the cognizant department chairperson or program director, to draw up an agreement with each graduate assistant at the time of the appointment which shall specify the stipend, duration and method of payment, the assistant's duties, and the general conditions of employment. The agreement shall be reviewed by the graduate assistant before it is signed by him/her and the chairperson of the Graduate Program Committee. The Graduate Program Committee upon the recommendation of the graduate assistant's faculty supervisor and/or the department chairperson/school director or unit director, shall have the responsibility to review the assistant's performance and to terminate the appointment for failure to discharge satisfactorily the duties specified in the agreement. ]

VI. LENGTHS OF APPOINTMENTS :

Assistantships may be awarded on an academic-year basis, a calendar-year basis, or semester-by-semester basis.

VII. JUSTIFICATION OF NEW ASSISTANTSHIPS :

In order to obtain permission to create new Assistantships, whether funded by state appropriations or by outside grants, a brief statement of justification should be submitted for approval of the cognizant College Dean & the Dean for Graduate Studies prior to being sent to the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs.

This statement should contain:

(1) qualifications necessary on the part of the applicants;

(2) expected duties;

(3) relevance of the duties to the student's graduate training; &

(4) justification for the assistantship (as opposed to other job titles).

VIII. DELETION AND REDISTRIBUTION OF GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS :

Presently established graduate assistantships which are supported by state funds are allocated to the various departments/schools or units within each college by the Dean of the college. These assistantships, therefore, may only be recommended for deletion by the cognizant Dean. Such proposed recommendations must be submitted to the Dean for Graduate Studies for review and recommendation prior to being sent to the Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs. Assistantships supported by outside funding normally will be terminated automatically when the funding ceases. No special approval is required in such cases. The Dean for Graduate Studies also should be notified of any proposed redistribution of Graduate Assistant lines from one department/school or unit to another.

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FAQ regarding Graduate Assistantship

Q. WHAT IS A GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP?

A graduate assistantship is similar to part-time employment. The graduate assistant is hired, paid a salary (stipend), given a work schedule and assigned responsibilities, and receives graduate tuition remission.

Graduate assistants are assigned responsibilities which provide supervised educational experiences at the graduate level. Frequently, this means assistants either teach or participate in research projects.

Q. HOW DO I APPLY FOR AN ASSISTANTSHIP?

Contact the department/school/office you are interested in for any available positions and their application procedures.

You should check the Student Employment Services website for a listing of all university job openings. If you have any problems with the website, please contact Student Employment in Eppley Administration Building, Room 205.

Note that you must be admitted to a graduate degree or certificate program to be a graduate assistant; non-degree and unclassified students are ineligible.

Q. FOR WHAT DO I RECEIVE MONETARY COMPENSATION & WHEN DO I GET PAID?

Graduate Assistants are hired to work 20 hours per week (.33 FTE). On the last working day of the month, your paycheck will be electronically deposited directly into your bank.

Q. HOW MANY GRADUATE HOURS DO I NEED TO TAKE EACH SEMESTER?

Graduate Assistants are required to carry a minimum of six graduate hours in each of the Fall and Spring semesters ( please note that undergraduate deficiences do not count toward this minimum requirement ).

You must be aware that nine graduate hours is a full-time course load for graduate students and, in order to defer some student loans, you must register for 9 graduate hours. Please check with the Office of Financial Aid regarding the details of your particular loan.

The minimum of 6 graduate credit hours may be waived if you are in your last semester and need less than 6 graduate credit hours to complete the requirements for graduation; however, you still must enroll in one graduate course. You will need to complete the "Student Social Security Tax Exemption Statement--Last Semester" , which is available in the Graduate Studies Office, Eppley Administration Bldg, Room 203. Once this form is completed, you may not be a Graduate Assistant again until you complete the degree and are admitted to a different graduate program.

The minimum of 6 graduate credit hours also may be waived for doctoral Candidates, with the approval of their adviser and the Graduate Dean, if all required course hours except dissertation have been completed and the student will not be employed for more than 20 hours per week; however, you still must enroll in one graduate course. You will need to complete the "Student Social Security Tax Exemption Statement-Certification of Full-Time Graduate Status," which is available in the Graduate Studies Office, Eppley Administration Bldg, Room 203.

Q. WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GRADUATE HOURS I CAN TAKE EACH SEMESTER?

Your Assistantship will pay for a maximum of twelve (12) graduate hours a semester.

Q. CAN I REGISTER FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE COURSE AND HAVE THE TUITION PAID?

Yes, if the undergraduate course is required to fulfill a deficiency which is listed on your original admission letter/degree audit (automated plan of study).

If the undergraduate course is not listed as a deficiency in your original admission letter/degree audit (automated plan of study), your assistantship will not pay for the tuition.

Q. HOW MANY HOURS DOES A GRADUATE ASSISTANT HAVE TO TAKE IN THE SUMMER?

None.* You are allowed to take a maximum of 12 graduate hours.

*If you are working as a Graduate Assistant during the summer & are not registered at least 1/2 time (5 hours), you will be required to pay Social Security taxes.

Q. WILL MY ASSISTANTSHIP PAY THE TUITION FOR GRADUATE COURSES IN THE SUMMER?

Yes, if you were a Graduate Assistant for the preceding fall and spring semesters or are working as a graduate assistant during the summer.

If you were a Graduate Assistant for the spring semester only and will be one in the upcoming fall, you will be eligible for reimbursement for your summer graduate courses. You will not be reimbursed, however, until the last drop date for fall classes has passed. Please consult with the Graduate Studies Office.

Q. HOW DO I PAY FOR CLASSES?

Once the necessary paperwork has been submitted to the Graduate Studies Office by your department/school/office, Cashiering/Student Accounts will be notified of your assistantship. Your account will then be credited for the classes which are covered by your assistantship. Please be sure you pay the fees and any other charges not covered by your assistantship.

Q. WILL MY ASSISTANTSHIP PAY FOR GRADUATE COURSES TAKEN AT THE OTHER THREE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA CAMPUSES (UNL, UNK, & UNMC)?

Yes, however, you will need to stop by the Graduate Studies Office to obtain a tuition voucher before you go to another campus to register.

Q. WHAT HAPPENS IF I DROP A CLASS DURING THE SEMESTER OR RESIGN MY ASSISTANTSHIP?

The Graduate Studies Office will send you a prorated bill from the date you dropped the class or resigned your assistantship. You will be placed on stop enrollment until the bill is paid.

Q. WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T START MY ASSISTANTSHIP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER?

Assistantships may be awarded on an academic-year basis, a calendar-year basis, or semester-by-semester basis. Normally these appointments start at the beginning of a semester. The department/school/office should contact the Graduate Studies Office for prior approval if the assistantship is not starting at the beginning of a semester. If the late hiring is approved, the Graduate Studies Office will send you a prorated bill for the graduate courses you are enrolled in, beginning with the date you started your assistantship.

Q. MAY I HOLD ANOTHER JOB IN ADDITION TO MY ASSISTANTSHIP?

The Graduate Faculty considers a student who is pursuing graduate study and holding a Graduate Assistantship to be carrying the equivalent of a full-time work load and therefore, discourages the practice of holding additional jobs which may interfere with satisfactory performance of assigned duties. With approval of your graduate program committee and the Dean for Graduate Studies, an additional assignment may be accepted if professionally relevant and if total FTE does not exceed .49.

(Federal law permits international students to work a maximum of 20 hours per week when they are in classes; therefore, international students working as graduate assistants are not allowed to hold any second appointments. Any exceptions to this rule would need prior approval by International Studies.)

Q. WHAT IF I BECOME SICK AND MISS WORK OR TAKE A VACATION?

As Graduate Assistants do not earn sick or vacation hours, please consult with your department/school/office concerning their policies.

Q. DO GRADUATE ASSISTANTS WORK WHEN OFFICES ARE OPEN BUT THE UNIVERSITY IS CLOSED FOR CLASSES?

Yes, generally, as the assistant is paid for 20 hours of work per week. You should check with your department/school/office regarding their policy.

Q. HOW LONG MAY I HOLD A GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP?

The length of time a graduate student may hold a Graduate Assistantship is up to the department/school/office which hired the student.

Q. WHERE DO I PARK MY CAR?

You will need to purchase a faculty/staff parking pass from Campus Security, Eppley Administration Bldg, Room 100. Once you have a pass, you are able to park in any area designated faculty/staff. You may want to review Campus Security's Parking Handbook .

Q. IS MONEY AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH?
Students interested in research grant monies should contact the Office of Sponsored Programs & Research, EAB 203.

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How to apply for Graduate Assistantship?

Contact the department/school/office you are interested in for any available positions and their application procedures. You should check the Student Employment Services website for a listing of all university job openings. If you have any problems with the website, please contact Student Employment in Eppley Administration Building, Room 205. You must be admitted to a graduate degree or certificate program to be a graduate assistant; non-degree and unclassified students are ineligible.

Below is a listing of all the areas which offer graduate assistantships. Some departments/ schools/area have included a brief description of their graduate assistantships. However, this does not mean the position is open, you must contact the department/school/area to see if they have an open assistantship .

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