Graduate assistantships are employment opportunities designed to benefit graduate
students educationally and professionally. Graduate assistants work a set number of
hours per week and, in return, receive tuition remission and a stipend to offset living
expenses.
Benefits of an Assistantship
Assistantships provide numerous opportunities for growth and development. Graduate
assistants are responsible for a variety of activities, including assistance to staff,
faculty and administrators, research, teaching and other diverse assignments for external
employers. Through their work, graduate assistants:
gain further expertise in their field
develop their research and pedagogical skills
acquire experience in leadership, interpersonal effectiveness and performance evaluation
gain academic administrative experience
develop collegial collaborations with advisors that may result in joint publications
and other professional activities
Skills learned in assistantships prepare students to succeed in corporate, government
and nonprofit organizations.
Minimum Qualifications for an Assistantship
In order to be eligible for an assistantship, students must:
obtain admission to a graduate degree program at TU
maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 each term in all courses taken for graduate
credit during the assistantship
register for courses during every academic term of the assistantship
Types of Assistantships
There are four categories of assistantships available: Graduate Assistants (GA), Teaching Assistants (TA), Research Assistants (RA) and Doctoral Scholars. Compensation for assistantships varies
by category.
20-hour position
Stipend PER academic year
Graduate Assistant
$12,000
Master’s RA/TA
$12,000
Doctoral RA/TA
$16,000
Doctoral Scholar
$35,000
20-hour assistants must register for at least 6 credits per term and are eligible
for up to 12 credits of tuition remission per term. Please refer to the GA Handbook
for additional details.
10-hour position
Stipend PER academic year
Graduate Assistant
$6,000
Master’s RA/TA
$6,000
Doctoral RA/TA
$8,000
10-hour assistants must register for at least three credits per term and are eligible
for up to 6 credits of tuition remission per term. Please refer to the GA Handbook
for additional details.
External Graduate Assistantships
Some graduate programs offer external graduate assistantships to help defray the cost
of advanced study. Developed in partnership with the greater Towson community, the
external graduate assistantship program leverages opportunities in business, government,
industry and education.
External graduate assistants may be employed for 10 to 20 hours per week, on either
an individual term or 12-month basis. Hiring organizations are expected to provide
their graduate assistants with meaningful, relevant work, as well as cover the costs
of graduate tuition, a stipend and an administrative fee.
External assistantships are not available for all programs; to find out if your program
offers external assistantships, please contact your program director.
Applying for an Assistantship
Assistantships are available in many departments across campus. Handshake is the first place to look for job opportunities throughout the university. You
must be enrolled in courses before your Handshake account can be activated. If you're
enrolled in courses and your NetID is not allowing access, reach out to the Career
Center krjones AT_TOWSON. Once your account is established, you may search for 'Graduate Assistant' in the
search bar. Go to Handshake FAQ's for more details if needed.
Compensation
Out-of-state and International students with assistantships receive in-state tuition
rates. A graduate student who receives a 20 hour, 9-month assistantship receives a
stipend and a tuition waiver up to 24 units that will be distributed on a 12 unit
per semester basis. A graduate student who receives a 10 hour, 9 month assistantship
receives a stipend and a maximum tuition waiver up to 12 units that will be distributed
on a 6 unit per semester basis. Fees are not covered. Tuition waivers are awarded
per semester. Unused tuition waivers will not carry over into the following semester
nor will students be reimbursed for the unused portion.
The Graduate Assistantship Program only will pay a tuition waiver for degree required
courses and prerequisite courses that pertain to the graduate assistant’s degree program.
The graduate assistantship office does not offer retirement benefits to graduate
assistants.
Students are encouraged to contact the Student Health Center for healthcare insurance options. Some assistantships offer healthcare benefits -
check with your supervisor to confirm whether or not this option is available to you.
The stipend is considered taxable income. It is best to visit the IRS website to determine
if tuition waivers are tax-exempt. Students are not allowed to begin work until they
have completed the I-9 process with the TU Department of Human Resources.
To determine whether your assistantship benefits affect your eligibility for student
loans and other forms of financial aid, please consult TU's Financial Aid web page.
