Graduate Assistant Application 
Please e-mail to gradcollege@atu.edu
 or fax (479) 964-0542

2011 GA ORIENTATION PRESENTATION


Graduate Assistantships

The University offers a limited number of graduate assistantships through its academic departments and administrative offices. Inquiries regarding assistantships should be directed to the Dean of Graduate College. The Office of Graduate College will accept and forward all applications for assistantships to the appropriate department head . To ensure timely consideration, please submit all material by May 4 of each academic year or November 1 for a Spring assistantship.

A graduate student holding an assistantship appointment does part-time work for the University as determined by the department or office involved. Eligibility requirements for graduate assistantships are as follows:

  1. To be eligible for an appointment, an entering graduate student must qualify for unconditional admission to the graduate program.
     
  2. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale is required.
     
  3. A student receiving an assistantship may take a maximum of nine hours and a minimum of six hours of course work per semester. During each summer term, the student may take a maximum of six hours and a minimum of three hours. Exceptions may be made upon the approval of the appropriate department head or supervisor and the Dean of Graduate College.

A student may have a maximum appointment of 50% (20 hours a week) except in the summer when he/she can receive a 100% appointment.

Application for Graduate Assistantship

To be eligible for graduate assistantships, applicants must furnish their immunization records to the Office of Graduate College.  International students may submit their immunization records after arriving on campus. The address of the Office of Graduate College is listed below.

Office of Graduate College
Arkansas Tech University
Tomlinson Room 113
Russellville, AR 72801-2222

General Policy Statement

Graduate assistantships are made available each year for the purpose of assisting students in meeting their expenses while studying for advance degrees at Arkansas Tech University. Wherever and whenever feasible, the job and/or teaching assignment will be related to the type of graduate program being taken by the individual. Each graduate assistant is assigned to a department or an administrative office. The job/teaching assignment and the supervision of the graduate assistant are the responsibility of the department head or appropriate administrative officer.

A student may have a graduate assistantship award for four semesters if they meet the Graduate College eligibility guidelines and receive continued departmental approval.  A student may appeal for one extra semester by providing detailed written justification of the Graduate Dean.

In order to be eligible to hold an assistantship, the graduate student should be enrolled for a minimum of six hours of graduate credit per semester, or if holding an assistantship during a summer term, be enrolled for three hours of graduate credit. The maximum number of hours for which an assistantship may be enrolled is nine per semester, or four per summer term. Exceptions may be made upon the approval of the appropriate department head and the Dean of Graduate College.

Unconditional admission to the Graduate College is normally required before a graduate assistantship can be awarded.

Confirmation of a student appointment is dependent upon the following process:

  1. The candidate completes an Application for Graduate Assistantship and submits it to the Office of Graduate College. Recommendations for an appointment are forwarded by the office to the school dean or appropriate administrator. The applicant then receives a letter of appointment from the head of the department or administrative office. The applicant must respond to the letter of appointment with a written acceptance. The department/office submits a copy of the appointment and the acceptance letter to the Dean of Graduate College. 
     
  2. The student must have completed the requirements for the baccalaureate degree prior to the first semester of the appointment year and gained unconditional admission to the Graduate Program in order to merit consideration.
  

To be eligible for reappointment:

A graduate assistant must have made satisfactory progress toward a degree with a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.0 and must have demonstrated satisfactory performance of duties assigned in order to retain the appointment. Students who withdrew from or are dismissed from the graduate program become ineligible for, and may not continue to hold, an appointment.

Unsatisfactory performance of the assigned duties of a graduate assistantship will be grounds for termination of the appointment at any time at the discretion of the department head or dean. If, one month after notice of unsatisfactory performance, improvement has not been made to the satisfaction of the department head or dean, the appointment may be terminated.

For GA questions or concerns please contact Regina Thompson (479)356-2203 or rthompson10@atu.edu