Assistantship Types
Teaching Assistantships (GTA, GTI)
- Teaching assistantships are awarded by the academic department requiring instructional services.
- GTAs assist faculty members in teaching.
- GTIs have full responsibility for the course(s) they are assigned to teach.
- Appointments are usually for two semesters of the academic year.
-
International GTAs and GTIs must take the language assessment before beginning a GTA or GTI assignment. Students who have earned a post-secondary degree in the United States or students from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are exempt from this requirement.
Research Assistantships (GRA, GA)
- Research assistantships are awarded by the professor/program supervising the research
activity.
- and are usually associated with a specific research grant, contract, or internally supported research project
- Appointments are usually for the academic year, but frequently includes the summer session.
- Time devoted to the research activity is expected to exceed the stated work expectations
in cases where the research is related to the student’s thesis or dissertation,
- the additional time is to meet requirements for research credits in which the student is enrolled.
- Coding indicates external support (GRA) or internal support (GA).
Administrative Assistantships (GADE, GADI)
- Administrative assistantships are awarded by the programs to students who are given
administrative duties
- such as administrative office support, computer support or webpage design.
- Coding indicates external support (GADE) or internal support (GADI).
Appointment Details
Full-Time to Quarter-Time Appointment
- Students on full assistantship appointments are expected to work 20 hours per week
on activities related to their assistantship. Because all students on assistantships
are also enrolled full-time, students are expected to spend additional time on work
appropriate for nine credits of coursework and/or research activities.
- programs can divide appointments, resulting in three-quarter, one-half, or one-quarter of regular appointments (with proportional adjustments of the stipend, tuition, and fees as shown in the table below).
- Students’ work load assignments, including teaching preparation and grading of papers, should not exceed the level of their appointments.
- Graduate Student Assistantships are a form of student employment which includes compensation in the form of a stipend, tuition, and lab/course fees.
- The amount of a student’s tuition support and stipend depends on the level of their appointment. A full-time appointee will receive full tuition support and a stipend of at least the Minimum Stipend Rate. Tuition support and stipend rates will be adjusted proportionally to the level of a student’s appointment, as shown in the table below.
- Pay information: Minimum Stipend Levels are set each academic year.
- Students on assistantships are paid bi-weekly.
Assistantship Appointment | Stipend Support | Work Expectation (hrs/week)* | Percentage of Tuition Supported** |
---|---|---|---|
Full | Full | 20 | 100 |
3/4 | 3/4 | 15 | 75 |
1/2 | 1/2 | 10 | 50 |
1/4 | 1/4 | 5 | 25 |
*Since all students on an assistantship are also enrolled full-time, students are expected to spend additional time on work appropriate for nine credits of coursework or research activities. **The maximum amount of tuition support for an assistantship is determined by the specific graduate program. |
Enrollment Requirement
- All supported students (including partially supported students) must be enrolled full-time.
- Students are responsible for paying for any credits over the tuition cap for the program that you enroll for
- as well as for student voted fees, and any remaining balance of the tuition and fee charges if partially supported.
- The credits required for full-time status may include research credits, graduate, audited, PE, ESL and undergraduate courses.
Benefits Associated With an Assistantship
- Please see the Student Insurance website FAQ "What benefits are associated with an Assistantship?"
Additional Employment
- Students who accept additional employment may find it difficult to make good progress toward their degree.
- Failure to make good progress may result in a loss of support in the future.
- Students should consult with their advisor, and should ensure that the additional
employment will not impede progress toward their degree.
- Advisors will typically approve requests in cases in which the student’s education will be enhanced through the additional employment.
Contract Termination
A termination of support memo must be sent to the Graduate School (gradschool@mtu.edu) detailing the reason for the request. Mid-contract termination requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis and can only be approved by the Graduate School.