The University of Massachusetts Boston offers a limited number of graduate assistantships to qualified students. Assistantships are awarded as part-time (¼ = 5 hours; ½ =10 hours; or ¾ =15 hours) weekly or full-time (20 hours) weekly. International students may apply for assistantships. There are three types of assistantships available in the Applied Linguistics Program: teaching, research, and administrative assistantships. Assistantship Application can be downloaded but must be mailed directly to the department.
Teaching Assistant (TA): A graduate student employed on a salaried basis who is primarily assigned to instructional support activities such as the following:
• Coordinate, lead, or assist in the instructional process;
• Provide tutoring and student consultation periods;
• Develop and plan extra-classroom activities;
• Proctor course exams;
• Grade homework, papers, reports, exams, and other work assigned to the enrolled students of a course.
Teaching assistants may work as assistants in the Modern Language Department (MLD) teaching French, Chinese or any other language offered in the MLD.
Research Assistant (RA): A graduate student who is employed on a salaried basis to perform work primarily related to academic research or other similar work including, but not limited to:
• Gathering and analyzing data;
• Conducting bibliographical searches;
• Assisting in the editorial process of scholarly journal and research reports for the benefit of the university, its faculty, centers, institutes, an academic staff supervisor, or a granting agency. Graduate students may be employed to perform research work not directly related to their own research.
Administrative Assistant (AA): A graduate student who is employed on a salaried basis to perform work of an administrative or technical nature which is not otherwise described in the Research Assistantship description. Graduate employees may be asked to perform clerical or secretarial tasks only if such tasks are directly related to the graduate employee's primary assignment. Some assistantships may consist of some combination of duties as listed above. Graduate employees are not to be asked to perform work of a personal nature.
Stipends and Tuition Waivers
Every assistantship carries a full tuition waiver, a pro-rated waiver of other mandatory fees, and a stipend. The amount of the stipend depends upon the number of hours of the assistantship.
Eligibility & Applications
Candidates for assistantships must be currently-enrolled degree-seeking graduate students in good academic standing. No student will be awarded an assistantship with any incomplete grades from the Applied Linguistics Program. Most awards are issued for one academic year. Application deadline date is May 15th. Job announcements and descriptions will be posted outside the Applied Linguistics office (W-6-103) and on this website. Students will be notified in writing of all decisions by June 15th.
Tutoring
Applied Linguistics graduate students often work as ESL tutors in the undergraduate ESL Program in the English Department at UMB. Generally, tutors work with non-native undergraduates enrolled in English 101 and English 102, which are both writing courses. Any student interested in working as a tutor should contact Professor Polly Welsh at 617-287-6563.