Graduate Assistant Allocation Procedure
From MWSU Graduate School Policy Portal
Contents |
Application Procedure
For 2011‐2012, the Graduate School will fund the tuition portion of up to several new graduate assistantships (9 hours of in‐state tuition per semester each). The purpose of these assistantships is to aid in the recruiting of high quality students.
- Students must be new graduate students for 2011‐2012. Continuing students are not eligible.
- Students must be degree‐seeking in a Masters (not certificate) program.
- Students must complete the GRE to receive an assistantship
- Preference will be given to stipends paid by a non‐graduate school source (e.g., adjunct salary,
IMC, Center for Academic Support).
- Awards will continue for a second year if the graduate student performs his/her duties
satisfactorily, funding continues, and is the student is recommended for continuance by his/her supervisor. Under no circumstances will students receive assistantship funds for more than two years. Funds can not be used to retake classes or to take undergraduate courses. Students on probation can not receive assistantship funds.
- Students who require an out of state waiver (including international students) can be awarded
an assistantship, however, they will count as two awards if the department elects to offer them both an out of state waiver and a tuition scholarship (and will be ranked accordingly). Awarding Process
- These assistantships will be awarded on a competitive basis without quotas for programs.
- Applications will be considered beginning April 1, 2011. Once funds are expended, there will be
no more assistantships available for the fiscal year. These assistantships are intended for excellent students who apply early as an incentive to get them to attend Western.
- Applications must be submitted by the Western employee who will supervise the GA.
Preference
GA positions are not awarded to a faculty member or program on a permanent basis - they are awarded to specific students for specific tasks. There are no guarantees of another GA being awarded to a faculty member or program based on prior awards.
Amount
GA positions funded by graduate studies will be for a maximum of $7,000 per year plus a maximum of 10 hours per semester of tuition remission. Note that these are negotiated, and many students receive a smaller stipend or less tuition.
Supervisor Responsibilities
The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the student has completed all necessary paperwork in HR, and ensuring that the MOA or adjunct faculty paperwork are completed correctly and in a timely manner. Supervisors must report on the progress of each GA to the Graduate Dean at the end of each semester.
Reporting Requirements
Supervisors must provide the Graduate Dean with a summary of work accomplished and an evaluation of the GA at the end of each semester - including specific accomplishments. GAs will not be eligible for continued employment or tuition assistance if this evaluation is not received at least 14 days before the start of the next semester.
For continuing GAs, the supervisor must also confirm that the student is continuing in the program as full-time, and has met the GPA requirements.
Length of Award
Once awarded to an individual student, GA positions will be continued for 4 semesters if the student makes satisfactory progress, meets all requirements, the funding source continues, and the supervisor completes all necessary reports in a timely manner.
Graduate Teaching Assistants, because they are on each semester's workload report, need to be renewed each semester.
Pay Schedule
Graduate Assistant pay schedules may vary, however, the majority are paid on the monthly student cycle (20th of each month)
Special Teaching Assistant Requirements
Missouri Western is committed to teaching courses using faculty members. We realize, however, that under some circumstances a graduate student can be an effective teacher and also enhance their graduate school experience through teaching. In order for a department chair to assign a course to a graduate student, the TA Position Approval Form must be completed. Additional funds from the part-time/overload budget will not be allocated for TAs, however, the part-time/overload budget can be used where a TA will be replacing another adjunct faculty member.
The amount of the tuition scholarship awarded to TAs will vary depending on the number of credits the TA is teaching. Scholarships are competitive and limited.
