The English Department offers a number of teaching assistantships to MA, MFA, and PhD students.

Graduate Assistantships (GAs) in Teaching for Master's Students 

The terms of a graduate assistantship in teaching for the master’s student in Composition/Rhetoric, Creative Writing, and Literature are that you would assume, for two semesters, half–time duties teaching first–year writing courses (ENG 111) and enroll in a half–time program of courses leading to the master’s degree.

In addition to the requirements listed for the various degrees offered by the department, ENG 731 (The Theory and Practice of Teaching College Composition) is required for Graduate Assistants and Teaching Associates teaching in the College Composition program.

For the 2022-23 year, the stipend for a GA is $17,138. The teaching load for GAs in their first year is normally one section for the first semester, one for the second semester. Your course enrollment is expected to be for nine graduate hours each semester. Graduate Assistantships are ordinarily renewable for a total service period of up to two years; second-year GAs teach three courses during the academic year. Continuation of a teaching appointment is at all times contingent upon maintaining a satisfactory academic record and observing good teaching practices.

All graduate assistantships carry a stipend as well as a waiver of the instructional and out–of–state fees. A reduced General Fee, however, must be paid at each registration, including summer terms.

Although doctoral students typically have a greater range of teaching opportunities than master’s students, students in each program can request to teach advanced writing courses in their fields. For example, upon completing a creative-writing teaching practicum during their second semester of study, MFA students holding GAs are eligible to teach English 226, the introductory undergraduate creative writing course, in their second year in the program. Similarly, literature and composition & rhetoric MA students may be selected to teach English 225, Advanced Composition, during their second year.

Teaching Associateships (TAs) for Doctoral Students

The terms of a Teaching Associateship for the doctoral student are that for two semesters, you would assume half-time duties teaching the introductory writing course (ENG 111) and enroll in a half–time program of courses leading to the doctoral degree. For the 2022-23 year, the stipend for a TA is $23,730. The teaching load for the TA is normally three sections per year. Your course enrollment is expected to be for nine graduate hours each semester. Academic coursework is typically completed early in the third year. All credit hours in subsequent years will be research and writing hours. Teaching Associateships are ordinarily renewable for a total service period of up to five years. Continuation of a teaching appointment is at all times contingent upon maintaining a satisfactory academic record and observing good teaching practices.

Within English, third–year Ph.D. students in Literature routinely teach one section of a 100–level literature survey as part of their three–course load, while doctoral students in Composition/Rhetoric frequently have the chance to teach other courses in their interest areas. In recent years, Ph.D. candidates have also contributed to interdisciplinary programs such as Women’s Studies, Black World Studies, and American Studies, and some have staffed undergraduate courses offered by the Department of Educational Leadership. Since 1993, several English doctoral students have served as the TA for the Women’s Studies Program, teaching sections of the Introduction to Women’s Studies, and also gaining administrative experience in an interdisciplinary setting.

University Policy Regarding TAs and GAs

1. Teaching Associates must carry 9 hours of academic work per semester and ordinarily teach 9 to 12 [credit] hours per academic year.
2. Graduate Assistants must carry 9 hours of academic work per semester and ordinarily perform teaching [or other] duties occupying l8–20 hours per week each semester.
3. Satisfactory progress towards the degree must be maintained in order to assure continuance as an assistant or associate. Satisfactory progress means carrying no fewer than 9 graduate credit hours per semester while a graduate appointee, maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, and fulfilling academic requirements for the degree as determined by the department or program. Failure to achieve such progress, as well as the failure to perform assigned duties satisfactorily, may result in the revocation of the award.
4. Graduate appointees must be supervised by faculty and their performance is annually reviewed.
5. Graduate appointees must be familiar with and comply with University regulations about instruction.