Graduate Assistantships

(From the Office of Graduate Studies Graduate Assistantships Resource Center)

Colleges and Departments at the University of South Florida provide Graduate Assistantships (GAs) to qualified students on a competitive basis. GAs may teach, conduct research, or have other responsibilities that contribute to the student's professional development. GAs are classified as Graduate Assistants (9185 job code), Graduate Teaching Assistants/Associates (9183 and 9184 job codes), Graduate Instructional Assistants (9550 job code), and/or Graduate Research Assistants/Associates (9181 and 9182 job codes). All graduate assistants employed by USF work under a contract negotiated by the Graduate Assistants United (GAU) and the USF Board of Trustees. The GAU is the labor union certified as the exclusive bargaining agent for graduate assistants at USF.

Graduate Assistantships are not awarded through the Office of Graduate Studies but are typically awarded through a specific Graduate Program/Department or College.

For more information including eligibility requirements and policies, see the Graduate Assistantships Resource Center website.

Graduate Assistantships (GA), Research Assistantships (RA), and Teaching Assistantships (TA)

Graduate Assistantships are intended to recruit quality students to graduate study at USF and to enhance the graduate learning experience. Graduate assistantships exist within academic departments or other university offices on campus. Graduate assistants may teach, conduct research, or perform other tasks that contribute to the student’s professional development. Graduate students may be classified as Graduate Assistants (GAs), Graduate Teaching Assistants/Associates (GTAs), Graduate Instructional Assistants (GIAs), and/or Graduate Research Assistants/Associates (GRAs). All graduate assistants at USF work under a contract negotiated by the Graduate Assistants United (GAU) and the USF Board of Trustees. The GAU is the labor union certified as the exclusive bargaining agent for graduate assistants at USF. To receive an assistantship, the graduate student must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Accepted in a graduate degree program;
Maintain an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) and degree program GPA of 3.00;
Enrolled full-time during the semester(s) appointed as a graduate assistant;
For Teaching Assistants, demonstrate proficiency in spoken English (if student is not from an English speaking country).

Appointments

Graduate Assistants may be appointed up to a maximum of 0.50 FTE for a single assistantship. Programs who desire to appoint a Graduate Student, in any classification, more than 0.50 FTE up to 0.75 FTE, for single or multiple appointments, must submit justification to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval. Students hired in non‐GA positions on campus must also not exceed 0.75 FTE for the combined position and assistantship appointments. It is preferred that students refrain from employment outside of the assistantship appointment. Departments may determine the maximum number of semesters for teaching assistantship appointments.

Enrollment

Full‐time enrollment is considered nine graduate credit hours in the fall semester, nine graduate credit hours in the spring semester, and six graduate credit hours in the summer semester. If a graduate assistant is enrolled in the last semester of his/her program of study, the number of registered semester hours may be less than the full‐time requirement. Graduate assistants must comply with all Office of Graduate Studies enrollment requirements to retain their assistantship as stated in the Graduate Catalog. For specifics regarding Graduate Assistantship requirements, guidelines, and policies, refer to the Graduate Assistants Policies and Guidelines Handbook

Note ‐ Criminal History Background Checks may be required depending on the appointment ‐ reference USF Policy 0‐615 ‐ http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-0-615.pdf

For specifics regarding Graduate Assistantship requirements, guidelines, and policies, refer to the Graduate Assistantships Resource Center online at http://www.grad.usf.edu/assistantships.php, the Graduate Catalog Academic Policies Section, and also the Graduate Assistants Policies and Guidelines Handbook.