Employment

Graduate Assistant and Associate Appointments

Graduate assistantships/associateships (GA) provide part-time graduate student employment in teaching, research, outreach, or other (administrative or technical). Benefits include 100% tuition for students with a .50 or greater FTE appointment, or full out-of-state tuition and 50% instate tuition for students with less than a .50 FTE appointment, coverage of individual student health insurance, and 10% discount at the UA Bookstores. Coverage does not include miscellaneous fees and any additional tuition assessed by academic programs and colleges.

  

Eligibility:

Graduate Students must be:

  1. currently admitted to a graduate degree-granting program at The University of Arizona;
  2. enrolled for a minimum of 6 units of graduate credit while fall and spring classes are in session (audit courses are not included) (academic units may require addition enrollment), and
  3. maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA for all UA Graduate credit courses.
Title Descriptions:

GAs in Teaching (GAT or TA) generally perform instruction-related duties under the supervision of a faculty member but may include duties as primary instructor for a course or laboratory, assistant lecturer, discussion session leader or grader. TAs usually hold office hours and provide consultation to students.

Additional Requirements for GAs in teaching:

  1. Mandatory Training: All graduate assistants and associates in teaching who have instructional duties or direct student contact, are required to participate one time in these mandatory orientations:
  2. Graduate Assistant in Teaching Orientation (GATO)
  3. Teaching Assistant Training Online (TATO)
  4. Evaluation of Performance:All graduate assistants and associates in teaching must demonstrate an acceptable level of performance in the classroom and/or laboratory. He or she will be evaluated on a semester basis by a faculty mentor who will submit a written report to the department head or administrator of the hiring unit.
  5. English Fluency: All international graduate students whose first language is not English must demonstrate written and oral proficiency in the English language by:
  • having a minimum score of 550 or its equivalent in the TOEFL, OR a degree from a U.S. institution, OR be a citizen of an English-speaking country, AND
  • A SPEAK score of 50 or above. A TBEST score of 7 or above. Please note that the TBEST is administered after you arrive to the University of Arizona.

GAs in Research (GAR or RA) perform investigative-type studies that may or may not be closely aligned with the GA’s thesis or dissertation, and may or may not result in collaborative publications.

GAs in Outreach (GAO or OA) perform duties that connect the University to the community in support of the hiring unit’s mission, which may include interaction with individuals and groups or the creation or delivery of information.  

GAs, other, may hold technical or administrative-related responsibilities.

 
Eligibility and hiring information, please refer to the Graduate Assistantships/Associateships Hiring Manual or contact the Graduate College at 621-3471, ask for Julie Treanor, Garrett Lim, or Dorian Voorhees
Applications and questions about level of supports and contract dates should be directed to the hiring unit of interest.

Payroll Deduction Plan:

The Payroll Deduction Plan (PDP) is intended to assist graduate assistants in covering the cost of tuition.  After all benefits have been applied, the remaining balance is divided among the remaining paychecks.  To enroll in the PDP, please visit MyGradColl.  If you would like to un-enroll from the PDP, please complete the PDP Cancellation Form and submit it to the Graduate College in Administration 322.

Benefits Proration for 2009-2010

Benefits amounts are to be prorated based on start and end dates, per the Notice of Appointment and the Graduate Assistant Hiring Manual.

Non-Resident tuition will be prorated as follows.  Any assistant starting after November 1, 2009 and March 7, 2009 will receive half of their non-resident tuition charge for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 respectively.  Any assistant terminated after these dates will only have half of the non-resident tuition billed to their bursar’s account.

Surcharge and Tuition Remission will be prorated based on the 2009-2010 benefits proration chart.  From the chart, to determine the amount to be credited/billed to an assistant’s bursar’s account, find the start/end date within the rows of dates and the column containing status of the assistant.

Billing exceptions may apply.  Common reasons for exception from prorated billing include (but are not limited to) graduation, approved leave of absence, etc.  Exceptions are always evaluated on individual bases.

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