Graduate Assistantships and Funding

Roles and responsibilities of graduate assistants

A limited number of research and teaching assistantships are available.  Depending upon the nature of the appointment, students with assistantships receive a full or partial tuition waiver, medical benefits, and a stipend.  The following general description supplements the more detailed information available in the University’s Handbook for Graduate Assistants.  Students on assistantships should familiarize themselves with this handbook and should contact the Graduate Assistantship Office for most questions related to their assistantships.

Graduate assistants aid the department's teaching and research programs and gain practical experience as well as financial aid. The association between a faculty member and assistant should be a productive team effort. Interest, orientation, dedication, and hard work will be required of both parties. The assistant is a staff member within the department and should take pride in the welfare of the program as well as his or her specific tasks.

Registration requirements for graduate assistants

All Graduate students paid by a department (i.e. have a Research Assistant (RA) or Teaching Assistant (TA) appointment) must register for a minimum of 6 credits each semester to be considered full-time students.  International students paid through the department: Falling below the 6 credit minimum at any time may be grounds for deportation.  International students should be in frequent contact with the International Student and Scholar Services office throughout the duration of their study here. 

If you are an RA or TA, your tuition benefit allows you to register for up to 14 credits without extra charge.  After registering for formal courses, students have the following options:

For MS Plan A students: 10 thesis credits (NR 8777)
For doctoral students: 24 thesis credits (NR 8888)
NR 8666 (doctoral pre-thesis credits) are available to doctoral students who have completed formal coursework but have not yet advanced to candidacy.  Students should not take NR 8666 unless they have permission of the advisor.

Advanced Masters or Doctoral Status is also a possibility for students who meet the eligibility requirements.  If you are eligible, you will be asked to complete the application, as it can save their departments a considerable amount of money by allowing the student to register for only one credit while still maintaining full-time status.  This enables students to keep an assistantship and/or fulfill the requirements of remaining in the country on a visa or not having to begin or resume payments on student loans.  (Note: Always check with the International Student and Scholar Services office any time you have an issue related to your visa.) 

For Masters students: Please view the eligibility requirements listed on the form.  If you meet them, complete the form, obtain your advisor’s signature, and turn it in to the program office for approval.  We will send it to the Graduate School for you. 

For Doctoral students: Please view the eligibility requirements listed on the form.  You simply need to complete this form, get your advisor’s signature and turn it in to the program office for approval.  The Grad School does not need a copy of the form, so please do not send it to them.  You must submit a new form every term you wish to register as an advanced doctoral student.   

When you register, please select NR 8333 (MS students) or NR 8444 (doctoral students.  Please DO NOT use 8777 or 8888.  Specify S/N unless you want a letter grade. 

Teaching assistants

The main job of teaching assistants is to help course instructors by leading individual discussion or lab sections.  Additionally, teaching assistants may assist by meeting with students outside of class.  Occasionally, TAs may be asked to lecture in areas of their special expertise, but lecturing should not be a regular duty.  TAs who are not native English speakers must meet the University's Language Proficiency Requirement. Full details on this requirement can be found on the web at http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ohrpolicy/Student/language.htm
The best and most effective TAs are genuinely interested in their students and in teaching.   Because students are often more comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas with a TA, the TA can prove an invaluable resource for the instructor with regard to how the student audience might best be reached. 

Research assistants

Research assistants, or RAs, function in a great variety of ways, often because of the way funding is arranged or because of the unique relationship inherent between a student and his or her advisor.  Usually the RA is considered to be a member of a research team and is given a specific assignment or a role to fill within the framework of the team and its goals.  Often this assignment will be the student’s thesis or Plan B research. 

Before beginning this kind of independent research, the RA and advisor will discuss  the justification, logic, objectives, expected performance, methods of analysis, and relationship to the entire project. The student and advisor should also consult with other committee members.