Texas A&M University-Commerce

Master's and Doctoral Assistantships

Assistantships for master's and doctoral students are available in most departments and require teaching, laboratory instruction or research. The awarding of assistantships is considered a staffing function of the department making such appointment. Inquiries about applications should be addressed to the head of the department in which the applicant wishes to undertake graduate study. Applicants for such positions must satisfy both The Graduate School and departmental requirements. Academic and creative excellence and maturity are the primary qualifications considered in the appointments. Graduate students whose native language is other than English must demonstrate a sufficient level of oral and written proficiency before they may be awarded a teaching assistantship.

Initial Requirements

To hold an assistantship, a student must satisfy both the Graduate School and departmental requirements. Academic or creative excellence, professional competence, and relevant experience or skills are the primary qualifications considered for appointments. If your native language is not English, you must successfully complete the TOEFL Academic Speaking Test (TAST) before you are eligible to teach. More specifically:

To hold a Master's Level Assistantship a student must:

Be fully or probationary admitted to a master's degree program and have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher;
Have completed a minimum of 18 graduate hours in the field to be taught if applying for a teaching assistantship;
Maintain a 3.00 graduate GPA if already enrolled in a graduate program;
Teaching assistants whose native language is not English must successfully complete the TOEFL before he/she will be eligible to teach.
Be in good standing with the Graduate School; and
Be enrolled for at least six hours of credit.

Be fully or probationary admitted to a master's degree program and have a graduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher on a minimum of twelve semester hours of graduate credit.
Have completed a minimum of 18 graduate hours in the field to be taught if applying for a teaching assistantship;
Maintain a 3.00 graduate GPA if already enrolled in a graduate program;
Teaching assistants whose native language is not English must successfully complete the TOEFL before he/she will be eligible to teach.
Be in good standing with the Graduate School; and
Be enrolled for at least six hours of credit.

To hold a Master's Assistantship if a student is working on a second master's degree, the student must:

Be fully admitted to a master's degree program and have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher;
Have completed a minimum of 18 graduate hours in the field to be taught if applying for a teaching assistantship;
Maintain a 3.00 graduate GPA if already enrolled in a graduate program;
Teaching assistants whose native language is not English must successfully complete the TOEFL before he/she will be eligible to teach.
Be in good standing with the Graduate School; and
Be enrolled for at least six hours of credit.

Be fully admitted to a master's degree program and have a graduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher on a minimum of twelve semester hours of graduate credit.
Have completed a minimum of 18 graduate hours in the field to be taught if applying for a teaching assistantship;
Maintain a 3.00 graduate GPA if already enrolled in a graduate program;
Teaching assistants whose native language is not English must successfully complete the TOEFL before he/she will be eligible to teach.
Be in good standing with the Graduate School; and
Be enrolled for at least six hours of credit.

To hold a Doctoral Assistantship, a student must:

Be admitted to a doctoral program and have a graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher;
Have completed a minimum of 18 graduate hours in the field to be taught if applying for a teaching assistantship;
Maintain at least a 3.00 graduate GPA;
Teaching assistants whose native language is not English must successfully complete the TOEFL before he/she will be eligible to teach.
Be in good standing with the Graduate School; and
Be enrolled for at least six hours of credit.

Stipends

Stipends for master's and doctoral assistantships will be set by the Chief Executive Officer after consultation with the Graduate Council, Dean for Graduate Studies and Research and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Waiver of Out-of-State Tuition and Fees

Students who have not established residency in Texas and who hold full-time assistantships in their academic area are entitled to a waiver of out-of-state tuition and fees. If you have been given a GA tuition waiver because you are a nonresident student with a full time GA postion but then fail to remain employed in the position until the end of the semester, you will lose the GA tuition waiver for that semester. You would then be required to pay the additional fees.

Work Loads

The work load for a full-time assistant in the fall or spring semester is teaching six hours or working 20 hours per week. The summer teaching load shall be three hours per term. A lesser assignment is possible with a reduced stipend.

Course Load

The course load for a full-time assistant is 6-12 hours for the fall or spring semester and 3-7 hours for each summer term.

A doctoral student shall not be required to register for more than nine credit hours during any long semester or summer; except a doctoral student who is enrolled in nine credit hours of organized classes who is also doing research related to his or her dissertation may be required to register for up to three hours of research or dissertation for a total of twelve credit hours.

Teaching Appointments

Master's or doctoral assistants who have primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit and/or for assigning final grades for such a course must, according to the Southern Association's Criteria for Accreditation,

-be under the direct supervision of a faculty member experienced in the teaching field, receive regular in-service training and be regularly evaluated, and

-have earned at least 18 graduate semester hours in their teaching discipline.

Time Limitations

Graduate assistantships may be held for a maximum of four semesters (exclusive of summer sessions) by master's students. A student working on a second master's degree may hold an assistantship for an additional two semesters (exclusive of summer sessions) for a maximum of six semesters. Graduate assistantships may be held for a maximum of six semesters (exclusive of summer sessions) by doctoral students. Any appointment is subject to satisfactory performance of assigned duties and progress toward the degree.

Performance and Evaluation

Any appointment is subject to satisfactory performance of assigned duties, progress toward the degree or program goal and maintenance of a 3.00 graduate grade point average. Appropriate corrective action may be initiated by the department head at any time during the semester. In case of termination, the graduate assistant shall have the right to appeal through normal administrative channels.

Persons holding assistantships have the right to develop to the best of their ability, both academically and professionally, and to be treated fairly and with respect. It is the responsibility of the assistant to carry out, in a professional manner, such duties as may be reasonably assigned by the department head or supervisor.

Individuals holding teaching assistantships will be evaluated every semester, both orally and in writing, by the department head or faculty supervisor. Such evaluations will be forwarded from the department through the college dean to the Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. Graduate assistants who are teachers of record must be evaluated by their students.