Graduate Assistantships

Types of Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships

The recommended criteria for students obtaining a teaching assistantship are:

• a major in the content area, or previous teaching experience in the content area;
• knowledge of the public-school systems and how they function (for those courses in educator preparation programs);
• ability to communicate clearly and effectively with students in an instructional role; and
• three years of experience in teaching with an emphasis in the particular area of methodology (for student teaching supervision).

Research Assistantships

Students awarded research assistantships possess the following characteristics:

• an ability to work with a research team,
• an interest in research and evaluation,
• knowledge of research methodology,
• and knowledge of and skill in the use of computers.

Research Assistants either work in research and evaluation in teacher education or on specific research grants.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistant candidates possess the following qualities:

• the ability to learn procedures quickly in an office setting;
• skill in typing, filing, and other general office tasks;
• good communication skills and ability to communicate well with faculty, students, staff, and the general public;
• project management and,
• for some positions, knowledge of and skill in computer use and applications and editing and proofreading skills.

Graduate Assistants do more general office work. Some possible positions include general assistants for program or project offices.

How to Apply for an Assistantship

Qualified students may be considered for assistantship positions by program coordinators, faculty committees or principal investigators of grants.

Open positions are advertised through the student listservs, by program coordinators, individual faculty members and through the graduate student funding portal.

Teaching assistantships are typically announced each spring for the coming academic year and students are encouraged to apply to those for which they meet the minimum qualifications.