Graduate programs, schools, or departments and eligible administrative units are designed to provide the opportunity for individuals to make the transition from students to professional scholars and practitioners. The appointment of a graduate student as a Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate often provides the student with the necessary financial support to facilitate this transformation.
Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, Graduate Assistants, and Teaching Associates are enrolled, full-time graduate students taking a minimum of nine approved semester credit hours each regular (long) semester and must be in academic good standing each semester they are appointed. Students holding these appointments normally are not allowed to accept outside employment. In those very rare cases when it is appropriate for the student to seek limited employment beyond the appointment, written permission must be obtained from both the individual’s supervisor (in accordance with UTDPP1102) as well as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies from the appropriate School. Assistants and Associates are also employees of the University and are expected to meet specified teaching, research, or administrative support obligations and receive compensation for contributing to the mission of the University. Assistants and Associates will be reviewed and assessed on their work performance on a semester-by-semester basis. As employees of the University, Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, and Teaching Associate appointees, when acting in their capacity as employees, are subject to the provisions of policies and procedures relating to employment, including the provisions and requirements governing intellectual property.
Graduate studies and assistantship responsibilities should reinforce each other. The appointments are intended to allow the student to gain valuable in-service experience in teaching, research, administrative functions, and other activities. Research projects should ideally lead to a thesis or dissertation. Teaching assignments should give greater insight into a student's discipline. Administrative responsibilities could include research; in such cases, these duties should give a graduate student an opportunity to apply collaborative communication strategies in planning, executing, and assessing projects or to apply research concepts, practices, and methodologies when conducting institutional research. In all cases, a close relationship between the faculty or administrative supervisor and the student is vital to the promotion of the professional growth of the graduate student.
A Teaching Assistant (TA), Research Assistant (RA), Graduate Assistant (GA), and Teaching Associate holding a half-time appointment in any college or school at UT Dallas will be expected to devote an average of twenty hours per week to assistantship duties. Non-immigrant international students must abide by the terms of their visa status and immigration guidelines based on total hours worked.
To be eligible for appointment as a full-time Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate students must be unconditionally admitted to a graduate program/school and be enrolled full-time in a graduate program/school at UT Dallas. Students appointed as Assistants and Associates are required to maintain academic good standing as defined in the graduate catalog. Students on academic probation may not be appointed to, or remain on, an assistantship. Exceptions may be approved by the Graduate Dean upon recommendation of the School Dean and/or the administrative supervisor.
For teaching appointments, proficiency in spoken and written English is required. At the time of their initial appointments as Teaching Assistants or Teaching Associates, international students will be required to take an oral screening test designed to establish their English communication skill level. The outcome of the test will establish if the student will be required to enroll in, and subsequently pass, an English as a Second Language (ESL) course designed to prepare them for classroom duties and interactions with students. Students who are not excused from taking the ESL course by the Graduate Dean must pass the ESL course within two semesters of enrollment to qualify for continued appointment as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate. Additional information about the screening test and the ESL course may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Education.
A faculty committee in each program, school, or department must screen, rank, and recommend the appointment or reappointment of Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Teaching Associates in that academic unit. Evaluation criteria for entering students must include, but not necessarily be limited to, previous academic record (degree, GPA), TOEFL scores if applicable, standardized examination scores if required by the program (GRE, GMAT), applicable teaching or work experience, letters of recommendation, and the Committee's judgment that the student has the potential for sustained achievement in the chosen field of graduate study. Eligible administrative units may follow their current personnel practices in screening, ranking, and recommending the appointment or reappointment of Graduate Assistants in consultation with faculty in the student's academic discipline.
Reappointment of students will also require: completion of a required assistantship orientation training program; a demonstrated high standard of performance in the areas of assigned duties in teaching, research, and/or administrative support; and satisfactory progress toward the graduate degree.
The appointment of a Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, or Graduate Assistant requires recommendation by the program, school and/or department head (if applicable) or the administrative supervisor and the Dean of the School and approval by the Dean of Graduate Education. Teaching Associate appointments must also be approved by the Office of the Chief Academic Officer. In the case of an administrative unit, the appointment of Graduate Assistants requires the recommendation by the supervisor and his/her manager. All requests for initial appointment, reappointment, or change of status of Assistants or Associates must be initiated on the appropriate Human Resources forms, and must include the academic level of the student in the degree program at UT Dallas (Master's or Doctoral). For Teaching Assistants and Associates, the course or courses for which assistance is to be rendered should be specified on a semester-by-semester basis. A Teaching Assistant or Associate cannot be enrolled in the same course or courses for which their assistance is required. For Research Assistants, the name of the faculty member whose research is to be assisted should be specified. For Teaching Associates, the name of the course and the name of the faculty member who will supervise the Teaching Associate should be specified. In addition, all Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, Teaching Associates, and Graduate Assistants must complete, sign, and return to their program, school and/or department head a statement confirming the understanding and acceptance of the Responsibilities of U.T. Dallas Graduate Student Teaching Assistants, Teaching Associates, and Research Assistants or Graduate Assistants. This agreement must be completed in the semester of initial appointment and at the beginning of each fall semester thereafter.
Because the terms of individual awards may vary from program to program, and even within a single program, the program, school, and/or department head (if applicable) and/or School Dean, and the administrative supervisor or his/her manager are responsible for forwarding to each prospective Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant or Teaching Associate an official letter of appointment specifying complete information on the terms of the assistantship, including:
If specific information on items 4 and 5 is unavailable at the time of appointment, the information should be furnished in writing no later than the first class day of the semester. Specific program, school, and/or department or administrative unit policies, if any, governing Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, Graduate Assistants and/or Teaching Associates should be communicated in writing.
Initial appointments starting in the fall semester may be for an academic year or for a single semester. Initial appointments starting in the spring or summer semester will terminate no later than the end of the summer semester.
Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant or Teaching Associate reappointment is not automatic. Students may be reappointed if it is determined that reappointment is to the benefit of the institution. Reappointment may be for an academic year or for a single semester. Failure to maintain qualifications for the appointment and/or meet the conditions of service, including performance standards may lead to the termination of an assistantship.
The maximum duration of assistantship support provided to students pursuing master's degrees is normally four semesters, whether regular (long) or summer semester. An additional semester of support may be provided for qualified students in degree options requiring more than 36 semester credits. It is recommended that students confer with their program, school, or department head and/or School Dean or the administrative supervisor to clearly establish/define such limits and other restrictions that may apply. Appointments and reappointments are subject to the availability of funds.
Subject to the availability of funds and continued reappointment by the program, school, or department, the maximum period of teaching assistantship support of students enrolled in a doctoral program is 12 semesters, whether regular (long) or summer semester or 100 doctoral level semester credit hours (whether taken at UT Dallas or another public institution in Texas). It is strongly recommended that students confer each semester with their program, school, or department head (if applicable) and/or School Dean to clearly establish/define the status of their appointment, the number of doctoral hours of eligibility remaining for the student, and other restrictions that may apply.
If any of the qualifications for the appointment and/or the conditions of service, including performance standards are NOT satisfied, the program, school, and/or department head (if applicable) and/or School Dean (in the case of Teaching Assistants or Teaching Associates) or the research supervisor (in the case of Research Assistants) or the administrative supervisor (in the case of Graduate Assistants) will inform the student that grounds exist for termination of his/her assistantship, the nature of the grounds for termination, an explanation of the evidence to support the grounds, and provide the student with the opportunity to respond to an intent to terminate the assistantship.
If, after providing the student with an opportunity to respond, the program, school, and/or department head (if applicable) and/or School Dean or research or administrative supervisor determines that the termination should proceed, he/she will then make a written request of the School Dean to proceed with the termination of the appointment. Upon review and concurrence, and in consultation with the Office of Human Resources, the School Dean will inform the student, in writing, of the decision to terminate the appointment. The termination will take effect on the date specified in the notification to the student from the School Dean.
Any student holding a graduate student appointment at UT Dallas has the right to appeal a decision leading to the termination of an assistantship within the appointment period.
The appeal by the student must be made in writing to the Graduate Dean within 10 working days of the date of the notification of the termination of the student's assistantship. The request for reconsideration must be concise. The student is encouraged to attach copies of all relevant statements, documents (written or electronic material) on the matter in support of his/her appeal. The student should also include a clear statement of the student's desired outcome of the appeal process.
The Office of Graduate Education will convene a review panel consisting of the Graduate Dean, an Associate Dean or designee, and a faculty member from a school other than that of the student. The panel will review all submitted materials, will meet with the supervisor who terminated the assistant or associate and the student to provide the opportunity for additional clarifications as appropriate. The student will be notified in writing of the outcome of the appeal within 10 working days of the date the student's written appeal is received by the Graduate Dean. The decision of the review panel will be final.
The Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate is expected to work closely with the faculty, research, or administrative supervisor in carrying out assigned teaching/research/administrative duties and also to make good progress toward the completion of his/her degree program. The Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate is obligated to maintain and enforce standards of academic honesty and integrity and to report violations of these to the faculty/research/administrative supervisor. The Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate is expected to keep well informed of program, school, department, and University regulations and follow them consistently. The Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate is expected to maintain all records pertinent to his or her assignment and to transfer them as and when requested by his or her supervisor.
Evaluation of performance is a critical part of the assistantship experience and should involve ongoing communications between the Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate and faculty/research/administrative supervisor(s). The School, or, if delegated, program and/or department or administrative unit, is responsible for establishing appropriate procedures for a formal evaluation to occur semesterly for associates and assistants who are instructors of record and at least annually for assistants who are not instructors of records. These evaluations help the student identify strengths and weaknesses, will be a part of the graduate student's employment record, and will also provide an avenue for assistants/associates to assess their work from their own perspectives.
The supervisor of a Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate is expected to inform and advise the Assistant/Associate directly in matters which pertain to performance. The supervisor should inform a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate specifically of all curricular matters in the course (e.g., content, methods, objectives, and standards) and provide advice in teaching techniques and teacher/student relations. The supervisor of a Research Assistant should establish research goals with the assistant, which assures that the assistant has the opportunity to learn proper research procedures and techniques and which contribute to the assistant's growth as a scholar. The administrative supervisor of a Graduate Assistant should inform the assistant by outlining the administrative and/or research duties and other activities to be carried out which contribute to the professional growth as a practitioner.
The supervisor is responsible for apprising the Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate of the nature of records to be kept in the course of performance of the assigned duties and of the disposition of these records required at the termination of the assignment. For Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates, such records may include grade sheets, copies of quizzes or examinations, and student reports. For Research Assistants, they may include laboratory notebooks, primary data, and computer runs. For Graduate Assistants, they may include pertinent university information, files, emails, and institutional research data. These examples are not all-inclusive.
The supervisor is responsible for ongoing communication regarding the quality of the Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Teaching Associate performance. The supervisor is the primary evaluator of this performance.