WSFR Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are funded by the WSFR, and are awarded on the basis of merit and institutional needs. The recipient’s duties will include assisting faculty members in teaching and research. To be considered for a graduate assistantship, all credentials for admission must be received by February 1.

WSFR Graduate Research Assistantships

Graduate Research assistantships are funded by research grants. Recipients are selected by the Principal Investigator (PI) of the grant and are required to assist the PI in research. Research assistantships may be awarded at anytime during the year. If research grant funds expire, the student may be eligible to enter the competition for departmental assistantships.

Assistantship Stipends

The size of assistantship stipends varies, depending on the funding source. Graduate School Assistantships and WSFR Graduate Assistantships are granted at 40 percent time. WSFR Graduate Research Assistantships vary depending on the funding source. No graduate student may work at a rate greater than 50 percent time. Effective January 1, 2005, the full-time assistantship stipend base rate is $37,868 for master’s students and $40,928 for doctoral students. Students on assistantship must register for the maximum number of credit hours per semester.

Tuition and Fee Waivers

Fall 2004, full-time tuition and fees per semester are $2,474 for in-state students and $9,141 for out-of-state students. Students on assistantship for at least .33 time pay a greatly reduced tuition fee of $477 per semester, which covers the matriculation fee and activity, athletic, health Ramsey Center, technology and transportation fees. Thus, for in-state residents, the approximate total value of a .40 time assistantship for a master’s student is $19,141/year and for a doctoral student $20,365/year. For out-of-state residents, the approximate total value of a .40 time assistantship for a master’s student is $32,475/year and for a doctoral student $33,699/year. For current tuition and fee information, see the Bursar’s Office website at http://www.bursar.uga.edu/schedule.html.

Retention of the Assistantship

Subject to the availability of funds, the assistantship is retained as long as the student:

• Is not on probation with the Graduate School.
• Is satisfactorily performing the requirements of his/her position as determined by his/her supervisor and the Graduate Coordinator.

If a student loses a Graduate Assistantship because of probation, reinstatement will be automatic if the probationary status is removed in one semester. Otherwise, the student must be re-evaluated by the Graduate Affairs Committee, or, in the case of a Graduate Research Assistantship, by the Principal Investigator.

Students holding an assistantship must be evaluated by the appropriate supervisor at least annually. Annual evaluations are normally done in the Spring Semester.

Assistantship Duration

Master’s students are eligible for up to 6 semesters of WSFR support, and doctoral students are eligible for up to 10 semesters of WSFR support.

Under extraordinary circumstances, a one-semester extension of WSFR assistantship funding may be granted, depending upon availability of funds. A strong justification for the extension must be provided in a letter from the major professor to the Graduate Coordinator.

Master’s students are eligible for up to 7 semesters of support from a sponsored account and doctoral students are eligible for up to 12 semesters of support from a sponsored account. Semester extensions of these assistantships must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and the Graduate Affairs Committee.

For the purpose of defining initiation and termination dates, WSFR assistantships will begin the first day of class and end with the last day of final exams. Once on assistantship, funding will be provided continuously until the student has completed his or her final term of eligibility. The ending date of the student’s final term will correspond to a date no later than the last day of final exams for that term.

Graduate School Assistantships are awarded for a 22- month period, from the student’s first day of class through the last day of class Spring Semester of the second year. Doctoral students also can compete for a Graduate School Dissertation Completion Assistantship, which would cover the last year of their doctoral program.

Assistantship Offer Letters/Renewals

Graduate assistants and their supervising professors must give careful attention to the duties listed and dates covered by the original offer letter, which serves as the assistantship contract. Once funds are budgeted, it is difficult to alter dates to fit contingencies and individual plans.

Renewal of assistantships require action on the part of the supervising professor. The appropriate renewal forms will be made available to supervising professors, who then will complete the budget portion and hand off the form to the student to complete personnel information and indicate acceptance of the renewal.

During the contract period, there is no provision for annual leave or vacation. The graduate assistant’s supervisor should be notified as soon as possible of an absence caused by illness. Absence for other reasons must receive prior approval from the graduate assistant’s supervisor.

Teaching Duties

Duties of students on WSFR Graduate Assistantships may include responsibilities in instruction and/or research. Each year, faculty are polled to determine their needs for teaching assistants. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the faculty, selects students for teaching assistant responsibilities from the pool of students on WSFR Graduate Assistantships.

WSFR provides teaching assistants on request for courses in the School and for some courses that are taught jointly by WSFR faculty and faculty from other departments. The first priority in the assignment of teaching assistants is to insure that the academic program of the school is properly supported. Every effort is made to distribute teaching assistance responsibilities equitably and to minimize the effects of such assignments on programs of study and graduate research responsibilities.

Responsibilities of the teaching assistant for the semester will be determined by the teacher of the assigned course. Responsibilities may include grading, monitoring of exams, laboratory or practicum supervision and instruction, guest lectures in the course, and tutoring assignments. Teaching assistants are expected to meet their assigned duties in a professional manner and to the best of their abilities.

Students whose funding is not departmental (e.g., Graduate School, special fellowships, specific research grants) are not included in the pool for teaching assistants. However, exceptions may occur due to extraordinary circumstances. Students wishing to gain experience in teaching during their course of graduate study should contact the Graduate Coordinator or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.