Are you considering a graduate degree and hoping to lighten your financial load while doing so? A graduate assistantship — teaching assistantships, in particular — offer a variety of benefits that extend well beyond the financial.
Keep reading to learn how a graduate teaching assistantship can complement your grad school journey.
What is a Teaching Assistantship?
A teaching assistantship is a position held by a graduate student that includes both financial support (potentially a stipend or tuition waiver) and teaching-related responsibilities. Those responsibilities might consist of grading assignments, leading discussion sections, conducting laboratory sessions, and providing direct support to students. Some teaching assistants even have the opportunity to teach entire courses themselves.
The Nitty Gritty Duties of a Graduate Teaching Assistant
These will vary depending on the department, institution, and the nature of the courses they’re supporting. But any graduate teaching assistant can expect to come across any of the following responsibilities:
- Teach (or assist in) laboratory sections and recitation sections
- Lead class discussions
- Grade tests and papers
- Tutor students
- Proctor exams
- Provide general assistance to faculty members
- Teach courses
“While enrolled in my master's degree program, I secured a Graduate Teaching Assistantship through the Communication Studies Department. The first semester, I helped to manage the paperwork and grading for two communication courses, and in my second semester, I got the opportunity to teach Public Speaking.”
— Katie Condon, PhD, VP of Enrollment Management at Eastern Michigan University (and former WVU doctoral student)
4 Reasons to Pursue Teaching Assistantships
There are several reasons why a graduate student should consider pursuing a teaching assistantship:
1. Financial Support
From stipends to student discounts to tuition waivers, teaching assistantships are just one way graduate students can offset the costs of their education. An assistantship program pays you in experience and money, which is helpful when trying to finance an education.
2. Teaching Experience
As a graduate TA, university-level teaching experience is beyond valuable, and it serves as a resume booster for a variety of fields. It’s important to note that graduate students do not necessarily have to have an education focus to be considered for a teaching assistantship, either. It’s common for grad students of any background to pursue teaching assistantships. It’s an opportunity to engage with the faculty and the university at large, all while deepening their expertise.
3. Networking Opportunities
Teaching assistantships allow students to network with faculty, peers, and field experts. Regular interactions with faculty — established academics in their fields — are the foundation on which relationships are built. These relationships often lead to mentorship, research collaborations, or letters of recommendation for future career opportunities. Your peers are often a great resource, and as a graduate teaching assistant, you’ll be working alongside many of them. It opens the door to potential study groups and new connections — both professional and personal.
Some teaching assistantships provide funding for graduate students to attend and present at academic conferences. There, students can network with other scholars in their field, gain exposure to cutting-edge research, and lay the groundwork for potential future collaborations.
4. Professional Development
By taking on teaching responsibilities, graduate students can enhance their communication, organizational, and leadership skills, all of which are transferable to various career paths. Many universities provide workshops and training programs designed specifically for graduate TAs, covering topics like effective teaching techniques, inclusive teaching practices, and student engagement strategies.
Teaching Assistantships at West Virginia University
At West Virginia University, we aim to produce ethical, marketable professionals, and we are committed to cultivating a community that values diversity, inclusion, and academic excellence.
By offering graduate assistantships that prioritize experiential learning and practical application of skills, we contribute to the thousands of transformative professionals who enter countless industries ready to impact positive change.
If you’re looking for more advice on how to get a graduate assistantship at WVU, download the guide.
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