Graduate Assistantships

The University provides a number of research and teaching assistantships. To be eligible for an assistantship the applicant must be eligible for Graduate School enrollment and is required to be in or eligible for admission to a specific graduate degree program. Applicants admitted conditionally because they lack undergraduate prerequisites are also eligible. Students admitted conditionally because they do not meet GPA and/or test-score requirements for regular admission are not eligible. Likewise, provisional and non-degree students are not eligible for graduate assistantships.

Applications for assistantships may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana 71209-0600. Completed application forms for assistantships are to be filed with the Head of the Department to which the applicant desires assignment. Transcripts and three letters of recommendation are required. International students seeking graduate assistantships must be able to demonstrate adequate communication skills.

In general, students are given graduate assistantships in the programs from which they are seeking a degree. They are expected to work 20 hours per week during the regular semester or summer session in which they hold a graduate assistantship. They may not hold a concurrent graduate work-study position or another graduate assistantship.

Stipends for graduate assistants may vary depending on the graduate level of the applicant, the credentials of the applicant, and the service to be rendered. In-state graduate tuition and out-of-state fee will be waived for the regular semester or summer session during which a student holds an assistantship. The out-of-state fee is also waived for the summer term following the spring semester in which an assistantship is held if the student does not graduate that semester. Graduate assistants are required to pay general fee, activity fee, ID validation fee, technology fee, and if applicable, a vehicle registration fee and international student service and insurance fees.

Graduate Assistants are expected to earn not less than nine (9) semester hours of credit toward their graduate degrees (twelve semester hours in the College of Pharmacy) during a regular semester and not less than three (3) hours of credit during a summer session. Appropriate courses include (1) those which are required for the degree and, if applicable, (2) those courses designated by the department and/or the student's graduate committee as deficiencies or prerequisites which are included on the graduate student's approved degree plan. Exceptions, for unusual circumstances, must be recommended, in writing, by the appropriate academic dean or university administrator and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and Research.

All graduate assistants are encouraged to register for classes during the regularly scheduled telephone registration period.

Reappointment is contingent, in part, upon continued eligibility for graduate enrollment, satisfactory progress toward meeting degree requirements, and satisfactory performance of duties. Graduate assistants are expected to complete their degree programs in a timely fashion - in general, two years for a master's degree and four years for a doctoral degree.