Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships, which cover payment of tuition and surcharges for up to 16 credit hours per semester and which pay a stipend, are awarded by the graduate committee of the department of history.
Graduate assistants are required by the Graduate School to take a minimum of 9 credit hours of graduate work each semester.
A full-time assistantship requires approximately 20 clock hours of work per week, assigned by the department or chairperson. Students will be limited to two years of financial assistance for the M.A. degree and four years of financial assistance for the Ph.D. degree. For further information, see Graduate School Rules and Regulations for Assistantships on page 17.
Requirements for Graduate Assistants
Most master's level studetns will assist faculty members with general education courses. Graduate assistants are expected to contribute approximately twenty hours per week in exchange for the assistantship. During midterms and finals, expectations may be greater than in othe rweeks. It is the prerogative of the faculty member to determine the graduate assistant's duties. Any academic responsibility associated with the teaching of a course or specific research by the faculty member is a legitimate endeavor for the graduate student, including:
1. grading exams, quizzes, essays, papers and other coursework
2. mechanical aspects of instruction
3. library work
4. collecting or reviewing material for class use
5. meeting with students to review and prepare coursework
The faculty member will determine what help he/she expects from the graduate assistant and how that help will be provided. The faculty member should clearly communicate his/her expectations to the graduate assistant.
It would be a valuable experience for each graduate assistant at the M.A. level to give a lecture or two in one of the survey courses, but this opportunity will be offered at the discretion of the professor and with the agreement of the graduate assistant. More might be expected of second-year graduate assistants than beginning students. Some professors may choose to assign tasks related to the graduate assistant’s research.
Ph.D. students will often be responsible for teaching their own survey courses. Faculty members will make announced visits to these classes for the purpose of evaluation and will be available to respond to questions and problems.
At the end of each semester professors will review the performance of their graduate assistants. In turn, if the assistant feels that the professor’s expectations are unrealistic or inappropriate, he/she should bring the matter to the chairperson’s attention, after having discussed the situation with the professor.
Every effort will be made to assign graduate assistants to faculty members in such a way as to encourage compatible working arrangements. However, it may be impossible for everyone to work with the student of first choice. Faculty members, as well as the graduate assistants, will inform the chairperson of any serious problems.
Performance Evaluation and Renewal of Assistantships
After reviewing each graduate student’s overall record and pertinent written evaluations, the graduate committee will convene to assess, not later than the beginning of spring semester, the performance of each graduate student.
If the graduate committee believes that a student should be dropped as an assistant or from the graduate program, information concerning that student will be sent to each member of the department. To ensure due process and the exchange of information, a departmental meeting will, if practicable, be called within a week to discuss the problem and make decisions concerning the student’s continuation in the program and/or as a teaching assistant.
After evaluations are completed, each student will be informed in writing of the departmental decision. Those renewed as assistants or graduate students will be given a written account of any deficiencies and suggestions for improving their performance.
To ensure that evaluations are as fair as possible:
1. Each semester, the department chairperson and director of graduate studies will assign two faculty evaluators for graduate assistants who are teaching independent classes. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the evaluators and to arrange one classroom visit from each of them. After such visits the faculty member should meet individually with the student and evaluate his/her performance in writing.
2. A copy of the written evaluation is also to be placed in the student’s file.
Graduate School Rules and Regulations for Assistantships
The following are the regulations governing graduate assistantship appointments funded by the Graduate School of The University of Toledo. These regulations may be supplemented by department or college requirements for the specific position a student is appointed to fill.
1. Only graduate students holding regular admission to a degree program are eligible for graduate assistantships. It has been the practice of the Graduate School not to extend master’s-level appointments beyond two years and doctoral-level appointments for more than four years. Only rarely have exceptions to this policy been granted.
2. Students holding assistantships are to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in order to remain eligible for assistantship support. Any student with an assistantship who fails to achieve a 3.0 GPA will have one semester within which to raise his/her average to a minimum level. Failure to do so will result in the termination of the assistantship. This policy applies to appointments for the summer as well as the academic year. Graduate students who fail to achieve a 3.0 GPA over two consecutive semesters will be suspended or terminated from their academic programs at The University of Toledo.
3. Full-time graduate assistants are eligible for fee grants for up to 12 credit hours of instruction per semester. The fee grant covers graduate-level work for courses or thesis/dissertation research required for the pertinent degree. Fees for undergraduate courses will be waived only when the courses are listed on the student’s Plan of Study form or otherwise required in writing by the advisor. The courses must be related to the student’s program, and a separate fee grant stating the undergraduate course(s) to be taken must be issued by the department. The student will have to pay for undergraduate courses not approved by the Graduate School or for any courses not applicable to the program. Fee grants may not be used for courses taken for audit rather than credit. A graduate assistant classified as a nonresident will have the out-of-state surcharge waived for the amount of graduate credit hours specified in the fee grant. All graduate assistants are responsible for paying the general fee and any other charges not covered by the assistantship. Students should make provision to have funds available to pay for these additional charges.
4. Graduate assistants are required to take a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester; their assistantships cover up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework per semester. Enrollment in more than 12 credit hours is at their own expense. To be considered full time by the Graduate School the assistants must be enrolled in 9 hours. To be considered full time by the University the assistants must be enrolled in 12 hours. Those assistants who have or are applying for financial aid must be enrolled for 12 hours.
5. A full-time assistantship requires approximately 20 hours of work per week for each semester assigned by the department or college. Since the student is expected to be working full-time toward a degree, no additional employment may be assumed by the student.
6. Graduate assistants are eligible for a partial co-payment (at the time of this writing) on the University Student Health Insurance premium. A payroll deduction plan is available to qualified students. For further information contact the coordinator of Health Services or the Graduate School.
7. Graduate assistants are eligible to purchase faculty/staff parking privileges. They should obtain a new parking permit every semester of appointment from the Vehicle Registration Office or at the vehicle registration desk maintained by the Finance Office during continuous registration periods. Please read the Graduate School Handbook concerning summer school.
8. A department makes graduate assistantship assignments by submitting appointment forms to the Graduate School no later than two weeks prior to the beginning of a semester. Departments will file termination actions immediately if it is determined that a graduate assistant is unable to fulfill the required assistantship responsibilities.
9. Graduate students who are working on their thesis, project, or dissertation and/or who are using university facilities and services (e.g., the library, health services, computer services, laboratories, or consult with faculty) must register for a minimum of one graduate credit hour each semester. Access to certain other facilities and services may require additional fees.
Failure to follow any of the above rules and regulations governing assistantships may result in dismissal.