1. Where do I find an application form?
2. How do I find openings on campus?
3. What are the requirements for eligibility?
4. What are the benefits of graduate assistantships?
5. After I receive my appoint letter, then what must I do?
6. How much is the stipend?
7. Which GAs must keep a timesheet?
8. When should I start working if I got appointed?
9. Which classes are covered by the fee waiver scholarship?
10. Who is required to attend the Teaching Assistant Orientation?
11. What types of documents are required for me to complete the I-9?
12. Where do I go to complete the W-4 and I-9?
13. Do I have to use direct deposit for my stipend?
14. If a foreign national employee, what should I do if I am a new graduate assistant?
15. Are undergraduate courses covered by the fee-waiver scholarship?
16. What are the guides to employing graduate assistants?
17. Can I work on campus if I already have a graduate assistantship?
18. What is the termination or the resignation process?
19. If I am an international student, how many hours am I allowed to work per week?
1. Where do I find an application form?
The application form can be found on the Graduate College website under the Graduate Assistantship section. Please click HERE to download the application form.
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2. How do I find openings on campus?
Some openings are posted on the Graduate College website. Click HERE (page 2-3) to see the list of the contact information.
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3. What are the requirements for eligibility?
The requirements for eligibility are:
a) A Student must be admitted to a graduate program at Missouri State University to be eligible for a graduate assistantship. A minimum GPA of 3.00 on the undergraduate cumulative or last 60 hours for first-time graduate students or graduate cumulative (minimum of 9 hours) is required. This requirement established by the Graduate Council is designed to ensure that assistantships allow the University to attract and support high quality graduate students. In very rare circumstances an exception may be made to the 3.00 GPA requirement. Requests for exceptions are to be made to the Graduate College by the department/office wishing to hire the student as graduate assistant. Personnel Action Forms for graduate assistants not meeting eligibility requirements should not be submitted unless approval to do so has been given by the Graduate College Associate Dean.
b) A graduate assistant is required to complete a minimum of 6 hours of graduate course work (600-800 level) during the fall semester and 6 hours of graduate level coursework during the spring semester. (However, to be considered a full-time student requires a minimum enrollment of 9 hours.) International F-1 and J-1 students are also subject to full course of study requirements and should obtain approval from ISS prior to taking fewer than 9 credit hours. A summer graduate assistant is required to complete a minimum of 3 hours of graduate course work during the summer semester. Audited classes do not count toward the required minimum credits. Dropping classes mid semester may endanger the student’s eligibility in retaining the GA position.
c) Given the time commitment to successfully complete a program of graduate study and effectively execute assistantship responsibilities, graduate students who hold a full-time assistantship are not eligible to work an additional job on campus, and are discouraged from working a second job off campus.
d) A student in a masters degree program may hold an assistantship for a maximum of two years (including fall, spring, and summer), and a student admitted to a certificate program may hold an assistantship for two semesters. A student is eligible for a third year of assistantship support if she or he has completed all requirements for a masters degree (has graduated) and has been admitted to a second masters degree or a graduate certificate program. Also, a student in a doctoral program is eligible for a third year of assistantship support. Graduate assistants are not eligible to work at any other paid position at Missouri State University during the time of their assistantship. Assistants must maintain a 3.00 GPA to continue eligibility
International Students. Foreign nationals who are a new (first-time) G.A. cannot legally begin working until they have been cleared by International Payroll. This process should be initiated as soon as the student is hired. If the student is not cleared prior to the start date entered on the PAF, the start date will be changed to match the date clearance was received and the stipend prorated accordingly. For more information, click HERE.
Graduate students who did not receive both their primary and secondary education where English was the primary language must meet the following requirements to qualify for graduate assistantships with teaching assignments at Missouri State University.
1. Successful completion of one semester of graduate studies at Missouri State University, during which they complete cultural orientation to prepare them for a teaching appointment.
2. Pass a Missouri State University juried examination in which the candidate must demonstrate his/her ability to interpret written English passages and to communicate orally in English in a classroom setting. Juried examinations are to be coordinated by the Graduate College. Membership of the jury will include one member of the applicant's major department (appointed by that department's head), one member from the Department of Communication, and one other faculty representative (the latter two members to be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College).
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4. What are the benefits of graduate assistantships?
Limited fee-waiver scholarships are for up to 15 hours of graduate course work for each of the fall and spring semesters. Those receiving summer term fee-waiver scholarships have fee coverage for up to 6 hours of graduate course work. Students appointed on a graduate assistantship during the Spring semester are eligible for a fee waiver scholarship during the following Summer term as long as minimum eligibility is maintained. This eligibility does not depend on having a Summer graduate assistantship. For fee-waiver purposes, graduate credit hours taken in the intersession prior to the semester are part of the allowable fee-waiver limits of that semester (i.e., 15 hrs limit in fall, 15 hrs limit in the spring; 6 hrs in summer).
See Fee Waiver Policies for detailed information on what the fee waiver will and will not cover.
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5. After I receive my appoint letter, then what must I do?
You must sign and return the Employment Appointment Form to the Graduate College to accept the position (form will be included with the letter of offer). The department/unit assignment, period of appointment, stipend, and terms of your assistantship are shown on the Employment Appointment Form. Please check that the address at the top is your current mailing address. If it is not, please mark through the address and write in the correct information. You will receive a copy in the mail once your Employment Appointment Form has been processed through the Graduate College office. The I-9, W-4, and Direct Deposit Forms must be completed as instructed in the appointment letter at the hiring office.
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6. How much is the stipend?
The graduate assistantship provides a minimum stipend of $8,000 for the 2012-13 academic year (nine months), and in a few situations a stipend of $9,730 may be awarded. A graduate assistant is required to complete a minimum of 6 hours of graduate course work (600-level or above) during each semester of appointment. Some departments/units may require graduate assistants to take more than 6 hours of course work. A limited number of graduate assistantships are available during the summer session. A graduate assistant appointed for the 2012 summer session will receive a stipend of either $2,000 or $2,432.50. Summer graduate assistants are required to complete a minimum of 3 hours of graduate course work during the summer session.
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7. Which GAs must keep a timesheet?
The GA Timesheet form should be used by all Graduate Assistants who are not Teaching Assistants or Graduate Research Assistants.
Graduate Teaching Assistants are those who are responsible for managing, instructing, and determining grades for credit and whose primary duty is teaching in an academic department. If the GA merely assists the professor with such things as grading papers, the GA will be considered a non-teaching GA with regard to timesheets and a timesheet will be required.
Graduate Research Assistants are those graduate students who are engaged in research in the course of obtaining advanced degrees and where the research is performed under the supervision of a member of the faculty in a research environment provided by the institution under a grant or contract.
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8. When should I start working if I got appointed?
Assistantships begin the week prior to classes and continue through graduation. Graduate assistants work 20 hours per week on average. Specific hours of employment are arranged between the student and the supervisor.
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9. Which classes are covered by the fee waiver scholarship?
Fee waivers are intended to cover graduate courses required on the Advisor Approved Program of Study. The maximum cumulative graduate credits allowable with fee waiver scholarship assistance will not exceed ten percent beyond the maximum credit hour requirements of the degree. Upon review, courses which do not meet this guideline will result in loss of the fee waiver benefit for such courses.
See Fee Waiver Policies for detailed information on what the fee waiver will and will not cover.
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10. Who is required to attend the Teaching Assistant Orientation?
A teaching assistant is defined as a graduate assistant who spends some of his/her assistantship hours engaged in classroom teaching or other forms of indirect teaching. All new teaching assistants are required to attend this orientation. Attendance for returning graduate teaching assistants who have already attended the previous orientation is recommended but optional.
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11. What types of documents are required for me to complete the I-9 Form?
To be hired by an employer, you must present to the employer proof of identity and proof that you are legally allowed to work in the United States. (Authority: Public Law 99-603 “Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986”). For more information, please click HERE.
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12. Where do I go to complete the W-4 and I-9?
If you are a new graduate assistant, you are required to complete a W-4 Form and I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form.
Completion of the I-9 Form requires you to present documentation to the hiring department/office that establishes both identity and employment eligibility (see this link for a list of potential documents). Section 1 of the I-9 must be completed during the period between the day the offer of employment is made and the end of the first day of employment as specified on the appointment form.
The W-4 (MO & Federal) must also be completed at the hiring department/office.
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13. Do I have to use direct deposit for my stipend?
Graduate assistants are required to participate in direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, please complete the Authorization Form for Direct Deposit of Payroll at the hiring department/office.
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14. If a foreign national employee, what should I do if I am a new graduate assistant ?
If you are a foreign national employee, you are required to e-mail the International Payroll Office at InternationalPayroll@missouristate.edu for a password to access the new on-line Foreign National Information form. After you have completed the Foreign National Information form, an appointment will be scheduled for you to finish the completion of the W-4, I-9, direct deposit form and any other appropriate tax forms. For more information, click HERE.
Foreign nationals who are a new (first-time) G.A. cannot legally begin working until they have been cleared by International Payroll. This process should be initiated as soon as the student is hired. If the student is not cleared prior to the start date entered on the PAF, the start date will be changed to match the date clearance was received and the stipend prorated accordingly. For more information, click HERE.
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15. Are undergraduate courses covered by the fee-waiver scholarship?
Undergraduate courses are not covered. In very rare situations, with special permission of the Graduate College Associate Dean, undergraduate courses mandated by the advisor to complement a student’s program of study may also be covered by the fee waiver.
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16. What are the guides to employing graduate assistants?
There are several guides to employing graduate assistants. For more information, please click HERE
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17. Can I work on campus if I already have a graduate assistantship?
Graduate assistants are not eligible to hold any additional on-campus positions during the time of their Graduate assistantship appointment.
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18. What is the termination or the resignation process?
Resignation/Termination of an assistantship by a student or by a department/unit must be made in writing. As soon as a graduate assistant has been terminated or has resigned, a copy of the letter of termination/resignation and a corresponding Personnel Action Form (with the termination action checked) should be sent to the Graduate College. Failure to complete a Personnel Action Form in a timely manner for a student who has been terminated or has resigned, may delay appointment of a replacement assistant.
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19. If I am an international student, how many hours am I allowed to work per week?
Assistantships begin the week prior to class and continue through graduation. Graduate assistants work 20 hours per week on average. Specific hours of employment are arranged between the student and supervisor. International students can only work 20 hours maximum per week (please see this link on the International Student Services website for complete details).
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20. If I have a Missouri Outreach Graduate Opportunity (MOGO) scholarship, can I also hold a graduate assistantship?
The MOGO scholarship cannot be combined with other fee waiver programs (i.e., scholarships, assistantships or stipends). For more information about MOGO, please click HERE.
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21. When will I get paid?
The payment of stipends will depend upon the specific appointment period the student is hired for and is outlined in the first paragraph of the G.A. appointment letter sent to the student by the Graduate College. For specific information, please click HERE.
Other Useful Links
Student Eligibility
Department/Unit Eligibility
Appointment and Training Procedures
Stipends
Hours and Timesheets