Academics

Graduate Assistantships FAQs

What is a graduate assistantship and what does it include?

Definitions

  • Teaching Assistant I (TA I): A graduate student employed on a salaried basis who is primarily assigned to instructional support activities.
  • Teaching Assistant II (TA II): A graduate student employed on a salaried basis that is the instructor of record for a lecture section of a course and has independent responsibility for its teaching and grading.
  • 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.
  • Administrative Assistant (AA): A graduate student who is employed on a salaried basis to perform work of an administrative or technical nature.

Under the terms of the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) contract, a full-time assistantship is defined as 18 hours a week. However, all students, including international students, are permitted to work 20 hours a week on campus while classes are in session.

Eligibility
Graduate assistantships may be awarded to matriculated doctoral, certificate of advanced graduate study, and master's students who are in good academic standing (e.g., GPA of 3.0 or higher). Graduate certificate students are not eligible to receive assistantships. There is no credit minima required to hold an assistantship. Those students on program fee status are eligible for assistantships. International students must hold an F1 visa in order to be eligible to be employed as a graduate assistant.

Salary
The hours a week, corresponding FTE and salary figures for UMass Boston graduate assistants are shown below. Note that there is a slightly higher rate for teaching assistant IIs. In the far right column is the corresponding university contribution to the assistant's health insurance billing, if applicable.

Full Year = 38 weeks/19 pay periods
 

Hours/week

FTE

Biweekly salary

Total Stipend

TA I, RA, AA

        

Full Assistantship

18

1.00

$837.26

$15,908.00

3/4 Assistantship

13.5

0.75

$627.95

$11,931.00

1/2 Assistantship

9

0.50

$418.63

$7,954.00

1/4 Assistantship

4.5

0.25

$209.32

$3,977.00

TA II

        

Full Assistantship

18

1.00

$908.21

$17,256.00

1/2 Assistantship

9

0.50

$454.11

$8,628.00


Part Year = 18 weeks/9.5 pay periods
 

Hours/week

FTE

Biweekly salary

Total Stipend

TA I, RA, AA

        

Full Assistantship

18

1.00

$837.26

$7,954.00

3/4 Assistantship

13.5

0.75

$627.95

$5,965.50

1/2 Assistantship

9

0.50

$418.63

$3,977.00

1/4 Assistantship

4.5

0.25

$209.32

$1,988.50

TA II

        

Full Assistantship

18

1.00

$908.21

$8,628.00

1/2 Assistantship

9

0.50

$454.11

$4,314.00

For a copy of the above two salary tables (that also includes health insurance contributions by the Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Assistant, and the length of of Full-Year, Fall-Only, and Spring-Only Assistantship Appointments), please download the Academic Year 2013-2014 Graduate Assistantship Salary Guidelines.

Waivers

  • All graduate assistantships, regardless of FTE or funding source, come with a 100% waiver of tuition for classes offered during the academic year. Fees or tuition charges for courses offered by the College for Advancing Professional Studies (CAPS) are typically not waived.
  • Assistantships funded by Academic Affairs (Graduate Studies) will receive a waiver of their Educational Operations Fee (EOF) in proportion to their assistantship FTE. For example, a 0.75 FTE will receive a 75% waiver of their EOF billing. The hiring unit's representative should be able to identify the given assistant's funding source.
  • Those assistantships funded by sources other than Graduate Studies will provide a waiver of the assistant's EOF at a minimum of 33% with a maximum of 100% of the EOF waived. The postings for these assistantships must include the percentage that will be waived.

Health Insurance

  • Assistantships funded by Academic Affairs (Graduate Studies) will, where applicable, receive a credit to their health insurance proportional to their assistantship FTE to a maximum credit of $1,152. Those students employed as administrative assistants and funded by sources other than Graduate Studies will receive a parallel benefit.
  • Research assistantships funded by grants or contracts typically provide health insurance support up to 100% of the total insurance cost.

What is the value of a UMass graduate stipend? 

Dollar Value of Full Stipend (18 hours/week)

 

2009

2011

2013

TA I

$13,863

$14,348

$15,908.00

TA II

$15,036

$15,562

$17,256.00

Who do I ask about a graduate assistantship?

First, make sure that your GPD (graduate program director) knows that you want an assistantship since the GPD awards the assistantships in your program. For assistantships outside your program, you should visit the Human Resources website and search for open assistantships.

Where can I find the pre-employment paperwork?

You can download copies of the pre-employment paperwork, but you must come in to the Graduate Studies Office to complete and turn in the forms.

As an international student, are there additional requirements for employment?

Yes, international students doing a complete course of study and holding the F-1 Visa are only allowed to work up to 20 hours per week. International students must complete the Non Resident Alien Form and complete the Windstar interview process in the Human Resources Department.

What is the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO)

The GEO is the Graduate Employee Organization at UMass Boston, the graduate employees’ union.