I am proud to share that I was able to complete both my bachelor’s and master’s degree without taking on any student loan debt, and I want you to do the same! Graduate assistantships are a common way to fund your master’s or doctoral education. This article will go over the different types of assistantships and what you can expect from each one.
Assistantships
Assistantships are typically the best funding options for graduate students pursuing their master’s degree or doctoral degrees. The three most common types of assistantships are teaching assistantships (TA), research assistantships (RA), and graduate assistantships (GA). While each vary in the types of responsibilities you will have, they all have similar benefits. A good assistantship includes one or more of the following: A chance to gain valuable experience in your field of study, a living stipend, free or reduced housing, and, most importantly, tuition remission.
Tuition remission is a benefit that allows some or all of your tuition to be waived. That’s right, you can get your education for FREE with a good assistantship. Most tuition remission benefits will include a certain number of credits per year that are covered by your university employer. Keep in mind that this is usually in-state tuition, so if you are an out-of-state student you may have to pay the difference on the classes. Some programs may even cover fees associated with tuition, such as administrative fees or student health fees, but this is less common. Even if your assistantship does not offer full tuition remission, it will almost always include a stipend and will set you up for success in getting a job in your field of study post graduation.
Teaching Assistantships
A teaching assistantship is typically the most well-known type of assistantship. As a graduate student, you take on the teaching of 1-2 undergraduate classes either as the primary instructor or more commonly as an assistant to the professor. Your job duties will likely include giving lectures, grading papers, administering tests, hosting supplemental instruction sessions, and hosting office hours where you support students taking your class. Below, I will tell you about my experience as a teaching assistant.
During my master’s program, I served as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate Communication 101 course. Before the semester started, I attended a week-long training for teaching assistants to learn important policies and procedures. I then met with my team of teaching assistants and the professor we would be assisting. I was excited to have a full team of TAs to work with that were all teaching the same course as it provided me with people to brainstorm with, go to for advice, and become friends with. Once the semester began, we began working with students.
On Mondays, I observed a faculty member teach in a large lecture hall of 150 students. Then, on Wednesdays and Fridays, I worked with two sections of 25 students each to reinforce the material covered on Monday, go over additional material, and work with the students on assignments. All of the lecture content was created for me but I was encouraged to come up with my own examples and activities to make the classroom my own. In addition to these lectures, I hosted six office hours each week and completed all of the grading for my 50 students. This included speeches, exams, attendance, papers, and group projects. In all, my work was an average of 15-20 hours per week and I was given a 9-month living stipend and full tuition-remission. The stipend was enough to cover my rent, books, college fees, and groceries.
Here is an example of a teaching assistantship position taken from a university:
The successful T.A. will: Adhere to all University policies, participate in all course-related meetings, assist with class sessions, interact with students in a positive, ethical, attentive and professional manner, grade student work consistently and fairly and return all work in a timely fashion, post office hours and be available to help students at the stated office hours, conduct end-of-semester course evaluations, and facilitate multiple lab sections.
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences Teaching Assistantship
Research Assistantships
Another common assistantship that is especially popular in the STEAM fields is a research assistantship. In a research assistantship, you are assigned to work with a specific faculty member or team of faculty members that are working on a research related project. Your job duties will typically include some type of lab or field work, data collection, data analysis, and even article writing for publication. Many RAs may result in your name appearing as an author on a publication! Below I will give an example of an RA one of my peers had.
A friend of mine took on a biology field research assistantship capturing, taking biometric measurements, tagging, and releasing chipmunks in the area. They used the tags to track the chipmunks behaviors and burrow locations. In addition to the data collected for the faculty research, the students were encouraged to do their own research with the data. My friend chose to study the chipmunks coat colors and patterns, then compare them to the coloration to the detritus color of the forest floor near their burrows.
Here is example of a research assistantship taken from a university:
The Climate Change Research Graduate Assistantship was established with funding from an anonymous donor to support graduate students engaged in outstanding, independent scholarly research related to climate change. Masters or doctoral students in any College of Arts and Sciences graduate program working on an independent research project, thesis, or dissertation focused on the impact of human activities on the environment related to climate change are eligible to apply.
Climate Change Research Graduate Assistantship
Graduate Assistantships
“Graduate Assistantship” typically means one of two things: Often, it is used as an umbrella term for all assistantships OR, more specifically, it refers to assistantships that are typically administrative in their duties or otherwise do not fall into the category of TA or RA. We are using the second definition here and these GA positions vary greatly in job duties. They may be student facing positions, such as an assistant Career Counselor, or behind the scenes roles that primarily deal with filing paperwork and reporting data. They could be roles related to recruitment, retention, or event planning. They often occur in a wide variety of departments including campus recreation, cultural centers, study abroad, and admissions. One of the great things about graduate assistantships is that anyone can apply for them, whereas TAs and GAs are typically reserved for students studying within the department hosting the assistantship. Below you will find an example of a graduate assistantship held by a friend of mine.
A friend of mine took on a graduate assistantship for a the business college at his university. This is particularly interesting as he was studying music! His role was a mix of student facing and administrative work. His duties included recruitment initiatives including visiting local high schools and community colleges, mentoring a group of undergraduate ambassadors, meeting with and providing campus tours to prospective students, and supporting undergraduate student clubs in meeting their university requirements and individual goals. These duties included elements of event planning, marketing, data collection, and standard office work.
Here is another example of a graduate assistantship position taken from a college website:
The Education Abroad Graduate Advisor Graduate Assistantship position reports to the Education Abroad Director and helps promote international student mobility and support education abroad programs at the university. This position may supervise Student Peer Advisors. This position provides administrative and programmatic support to the Education Abroad Director, and other Center for International Education programs, and is expected to follow all university policies and guidelines, particularly those related to FERPA and confidentiality of student record policies, immigration regulations, academic integrity policies and health and safety precautions.
Education Abroad Graduate Advisor in the Center for International Education
Thanks for stopping by my blog today, and good luck on your assistantship search!
Tayler Mercil 