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GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

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Graduate Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis to qualified graduate degree seeking students. The Assistantships offer assignments in teaching, research or administration. They are designed to offer students supervised educational experiences at the graduate level. Interested students should visit the UNK employment website at https://employment.unk.edu/. The website will list all open Graduate/Research Assistantships, as well as provide instructions for completing the application process. Assistantship decisions begin around April 15th for the following academic year appointments although applications are accepted until all positions are filled. Early application is encouraged.

Graduate Assistants employed full-time will automatically be awarded (resident or nonresident as appropriate) tuition remission equivalent to one-fourth of the credit hours in their Graduate Degree Program each semester they serve as a Graduate Assistant. Tuition remissions for Graduate Assistant appointments less than full-time will be prorated accordingly. Fees are not included in tuition remission and must be paid by the student. Remissions will apply only to course work applicable to the approved program listed in the graduate catalog (or their substitutes). All tuition and fees for courses that do not meet the above criterion, as well as any courses the student drops or withdraws from, will be paid by the Graduate Assistant. These remissions may be utilized during the semester(s) of a Graduate Assistant appointment and the following summer session.

Academic Standards

The Graduate Assistantship is intended to provide support to students pursuing a graduate degree who have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement or potential. Graduate students must be fully admitted to a degree program prior to the awarding of an assistantship. Graduate Assistants are required to maintain a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0.

Work Load

Assistantships assigned on a halftime basis carry a workload of ten (10) hours per week. Assistantships assigned on a full-time basis carry a workload of twenty (20) hours per week. The University considers twenty hours per week full-time student employment. Therefore, full-time Graduate Assistants may not hold any additional employment positions at UNK.

Temporary leave from assistantships due to brief illness, family emergency, etc., are administered by the department and reported to the Office of Graduate Studies & Research.

Course Load

Individuals receiving an assistantship must enroll in a minimum of six hours per semester/term and are expected to complete a minimum of six (6) graduate hours per semester, or twelve (12) graduate hours per academic year. These hours must be applicable to the student's Program of Study. A graduate assistant may carry a maximum load of twelve (12) hours of course work per semester.

Duties

The Graduate Assistant is directly responsible to the department head, who has the prerogative of assigning the graduate assistant to a full-time faculty member who supervises and evaluates the work of the assistant. Graduate Assistants may be assigned teaching, research or administrative duties. The department will clearly identify these duties.

A graduate Teaching Assistant is generally asked to teach the equivalent of six (6) credit hours of courses or labs. Office hours and class preparation for a Teaching Assistant should be included in the assignment.

Length of Appointment

Assistantships may be awarded on a semester or academic year basis. Appointments for the summer session are also available through some departments with their own source of funding.

Successive assistantships may be awarded to a student at the discretion of the department and are subject to the successful degree progress as described above. Graduate students are generally awarded an assistantship for no more than two (2) years per program. Appointment exceeding two years must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

The health fee for Graduate Assistants is paid for by the institution and health care may be received from Student Health Services.

Graduate Assistants are granted the same library privileges as faculty members.

Application

Students can find a list of open Graduate/Research Assistantships, as well as instructions for creating an application at https://employment.unk.edu. For questions about completing the application, call the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Office at (308)865-8655.

UNK Graduate Council

Each fall three graduate students are appointed to serve as representatives to the Graduate Council. These students attend the Graduate Council meetings and share concerns and ideas of graduate students. Interested students should contact their Graduate Program Committee Chair or the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for more information.

19 Jun 2007

gradcat@unk.edu