Teaching Assistant, Assistant Instructor, and Graduate Research Assistant Information
Requirements for Appoint of TAs, AIs, GRAs
Note: In 1995, the Graduate School initiated an audit on appointments of graduate students for the titles TA, AI, and GRA. The audit checks to see that students are in compliance with the rules for graduate student employment, including the stipulation that students must be registered before an appointment can be processed. If an appointment fails the audit, it cannot be approved until the problem is corrected by the student or an exception granted by the department chair and the Graduate School. This may cause a delay in issuance of payment for services.
- Admission to Graduate School. If conditions were assessed by the Graduate Dean at the time of your admission, you may be considered for an assistantship when the conditions have been fulfilled. Conditions imposed by the department do not prevent appointment as a TA, AI, or GRA.
- GPA of 3.0 or better.
- Satisfactory progress toward an advanced degree. Students registered as “Non-Degree Seeking,” or “In Absentia” are ineligible for appointment to these titles.
- No more than one grade of Incomplete [ X ] and one Permanent Incomplete [ I ], or two temporary incompletes [ X ]. Temporary incompletes [ X ] must be converted to a grade by the end of the next long-term semester of enrollment or they become Permanent Incompletes [ I ].
- Minimum registration for at least 9 semester hours during each Fall or Spring semester of employment (including a student’s final semester at UT), and 3 semester hours during any session of a Summer term. It is not required that students be registered during the same summer session they are employed.
- Registration for EDC
398T during the first semester of appointment as a
graduate assistant
--OR-- - Successful completion of 398T or its equivalent in this or another department at UT-Austin
- EDC 398T is a 3-hour graduate course which may be included in the graduate program, and is generally offered each semester at a time that does not conflict with other regularly scheduled graduate courses. Students are encouraged to register for the course on a credit/no credit basis. Assistants whose duties do NOT include supervision of interns or student teachers may choose instead to take GRS 398T or EDC 382T, if available. Other substitutions require prior approval.
- No appointment for more than 20 hours during the first two long-session semesters of graduate study at The University of Texas at Austin. No appointment for more than 30 hours in a long-session semester if in the third semester of graduate study or beyond. [See information below regarding assistantships for international students.]
- No more than 14 long-session semesters of employment as a TA, AI, GRA, alone or in combination.
Additional requirements for Assistant Instructors
- Master's degree or an equivalent level of achievement in graduate study (30 hours) and professional accomplishment.
- One previous semester
of employment as a Teaching Assistant.
--OR-- - One year of teaching experience at an
accredited college or school.
[Letter of verification from former employer and/or copy of a teaching certificate must be provided.]
Additional requirements for International TA appointments
- English language certification
and attendance at the International TA/AI orientation prior to appointment
as a TA or AI with student contact.
[see: http://www.utexas.edu/student/esl/ita/index.html] - Completion of Payment Request Form (available from SZB 406 or International Office).
- United States Citizenship and Immigration Service regulations limit international students on J-1 and F-1 visas to appointments of no more than 20 hours. Students may go to the International Office for information on exceptions to this USCIS regulation.
Additional Information for Graduate Assistants
Compliance Training
All University employees, including Graduate Assistants, are required to be aware of, and in compliance with, state law and University policy with regard to equal employment opportunity, FERPA, and sexual harassment. To this end, the University has developed three online modules—CW121, CW504 and CW123—to convey what one can do should they feel they have been subjected to discrimination or sexual harassment in the workplace. Graduate Assistants are expected to complete the training within thirty days of their initial appointment. The modules are relatively short and completion should take no more than thirty minutes. They may be found on the Web at the following URL: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/cts/profile.WBX. Those who prefer to take the training by alternative method should contact the Institutional Compliance Training Coordinator’s office at 232-7842, which will either email the modules or provide a hard copy version for the student employee to complete.
Medical Coverage
All University employees appointed half-time (20 hours) or more qualify for the same medical benefits given to tenured faculty. Insurance, health plans, and premium sharing is administered by Office of Human Resources, Insurance and Retirement Group (IRG). Information, including medical plan options, doctors for each plan, and other pertinent information, may be found on their Medical Insurance web page.
International Students who hold a 20 hour appointment may request a waiver of student insurance by virtue of their assistantship before the 12th class day. You MUST submit a new request for each semester that you hold benefits-eligible appointment, otherwise you will be charged for student insurance. No waiver or refund is possible after the 12th class day.
New Employee Orientation
All new employees are strongly encouraged to attend a New Employee Welcome and Orientation session, presented each Monday (excluding holidays) from 8am to noon. You may register yourself for one of these at the website below. There you will also find a New Employee Checklist guiding you through the various steps that need to be completed within the first month of employment. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with all the relevant information on this website: http://www.utexas.edu/hr/current/new/
All new employees are encouraged to review the New Student Employee Checklist on the Human Resource Services website before their first day of employment
Resident Tuition Entitlement
If you are a non-resident paying out-of-state tuition, and are appointed for at least one-half time (20 hours per week), you may request that the non-resident portion of your tuition be waived. Go to the tuition waiver website and follow the steps. Once the request is approved, the waiver will be added to your fee bill immediately. If you have already paid the non-resident portion of your fee bill, you will be refunded. You MUST submit a new request for each semester that you hold appointment
Parking
Benefits eligible Assistants appointed half-time (20 hours) or more may obtain an “A” parking permit at Parking & Transportation Services located in the Trinity Parking Garage, 1817 Trinity (corner of MLK). You should take your appointment letter with you to verify eligibility.
Carrel Space
Carrel space is assigned based on availability with priority given to those appointed at the title of AI, as well as TAs whose duties involve facilitating supervision of student interns* in the College’s Professional Development Sequence for teacher certification. (*TAs who facilitate supervision of student teachers typically meet with their students in the field, and consequently do not receive priority.)
Graduate Assistants with priority may request a carrel in the TA Commons (SZB 435) by contacting Stephen Flynn (sflynn@mail.utexas.edu) at the beginning of the semester. Assistants who qualify for priority in consecutive long semesters will be allowed to hold the same carrel assignment. Assistants who do not qualify for a carrel based on the duties outlined above may contact Susan to be placed on a waiting list for assignment of unused carrels.
Other
If you are a facilitator in the Professional Development Sequence, a car will be needed for those duties. See the Placement Office (SZB 294) about reimbursement for mileage.
Graduate Assistants are required to participate in the Course-Instructor Survey. Survey packets will be ordered for you automatically.