Assistantships

University procedures allow for the appointment and employment of graduate students. The approved titles and job codes for graduate student employment (i.e., Graduate Teaching Associate, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Graduate Research Associate, Graduate Research Assistant, or Graduate Assistant) are defined below. Work in the GTA and GRA job codes is seen as an integral part of the student's graduate educational experience and only secondarily as an employment opportunity. Students should be appointed as GTAs or GRAs in order to develop skills that are important to their graduate training. Nondegree-seeking students may be employed but must be classified as Student Assistants (not Graduate Assistants). Forms for these students must be processed through the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

To be employed in graduate associate or graduate assistant (GA, GTA, or GRA) positions, students must be classified as graduate students by the end of the add/drop period for that term and must have their forms processed through the Office of Human Resources. GAs are paid on an hourly basis, while GTAs and GRAs are paid contractually. Students employed as graduate associates or graduate assistants may not be simultaneously employed as Student Assistants (SAs) or adjunct faculty. In addition, graduate students who are hired in one or more of the graduate employment job codes (listed below) should normally be employed in these approved job codes only. Concurrent employment in graduate student job codes and in other positions (e.g., general OPS employment) is discouraged. Graduate students who are hired as an instructor of record must be hired on the Graduate Teaching Associate (9183) title and job code. Students employed as graduate associates or graduate assistants are not faculty and are not able to receive faculty parking privileges or faculty ID cards.

ASSISTANTSHIP TITLES AND JOB DESCRIPTION

Graduate Assistant (GA): Students hired on this job code may be assigned general duties related to research, clerical, or other typical employment activities.

Graduate Research Associate (GRA): This job code is restricted to advanced students who are assigned research activities. In general, Graduate Research Associates will be doctoral students with two or more years of research experience.

Graduate Research Assistant (GRA): Graduate Research Assistants are master's-level students or doctoral students within their first two years who are assigned research duties.

Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA): This job code is reserved for students who have completed at least 18 hours of course work in the discipline and are hired as an instructor of record in accordance with UCF's policy on instructors of record. In addition, international students may only be hired as a Graduate Teaching Associate after obtaining a score of at least 55 on the SPEAK exam. These students will be hired to teach independently with full responsibility for all pedagogical aspects of the assigned course(s).

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA): Graduate Teaching Assistants are master's or doctoral students who have completed less than 18 hours of course work in the discipline or who are assigned to assist a faculty member with teaching-related duties. International students may only be hired as a Graduate Teaching Assistant after obtaining a score of at least 50 on the SPEAK exam.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS

New Graduate Teaching Assistants and Graduate Teaching Associates are required to attend the UCF Graduate Teaching Workshop held yearly, before teaching classes at the university. These workshops are presented by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning ( FCTL).

Graduate students with access to student records must maintain the confidentiality of all student records and information. Any violation of this will result in immediate dismissal.