Assistantships

Assistantships in the Math Sciences Department are available to full-time students on a competitive basis. Because one goal of our program is to prepare graduates for teaching, we usually award students a teaching assistantship (TA).

If you want an assistantship, but we do not have one for you in the department: Many administrative and support offices on campus hire graduate students as well. Please check with the grad school for other positions.

Eligibility

Students must be fully admitted to our graduate degree (MA) program and be in good standing, i.e., maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.

Duties

Graduate assistants on "full-time" contracts are expected to average 20 hours per week during the 15 week semester. The duties for our TAs vary, but typically:

  • First Year TAs: First-semester TAs will work with a faculty member lead instructor in a larger section of Developmental Math, College Algebra, Business Math, Statistics or Precalculus. The goal of this first TA experience is to help students understand what teaching a college course is like. Depending on performance, TAs may be given more autonomy by their faculty mentor in their second semester.
  • Second Year TAs: Students who have completed at least 18 hours of graduate work AND showed promise in their teaching during the first year may be given even more autonomy in teaching. Each TA will still be mentored by a faculty member, who must approve of all aspects of the course (syllabus, exams, etc.). In the final semester of the program, the best TAs may be given a lecturer/instructor of record position; note, however, that lecturers will still work under the direction of a faculty mentor.

Each TA is expected to meet with the faculty mentor at least weekly and follow the standard department syllabus in every course taught. Failure to follow the directions of the faculty mentor will result in termination.

Contracts

Each graduate assistant will complete a contract each semester. Please see one of the program directors for more information on timing.

Training

All graduate assistants are required to complete some online training through the grad school. In addition, new TAs will be mentored one-to-one by a member of the mathematical sciences faculty.

Compensation

Assistantship positions are considered paid employment, and graduate assistants are paid twice a month through automatic deposit. Wages are currently (2023-24 academic year) $5000-5500 per semester. Before employment can commence, TAs must complete all employment paperwork through the Office of Human Resources.

Tuition Remission

Currently we are unable to reduce tuition or fees for assistantships. All graduate assistants are responsible for paying tuition and fees.

<back to information for current students>