- Application Information
- FALL Preview
- The MS program
- The PhD program
- Coursework (MS and PhD)
- Mentoring (MS and PhD)
- The Qualifying Exam (PhD)
- Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs)
- Research and Travel Funding
- Departmental Policies
- GeoClub
- Student Publications and Awards
- Resources for Graduate Students
- Graduate Program Statistics
- Professional Development
- Scholarships & Fellowships
Teaching is a vital component of the scientific method. Graduate students in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EARTH) assist faculty instructors teach introductory (1xx–2xx) and advanced-level (3xx–4xx) courses on the Ann Arbor campus or at Camp Davis in Wyoming. As Graduate Student Instructors, or GSIs, they run laboratory sections, grade exams and assignments, and hold office hours. They teach students one-to-one or in small groups and provide feedback on their performance. We may appoint students from other units as GSIs but incoming and current graduate students in EARTH have priority. Most students are appointed as GSIs several times during graduate school but only once in the academic year.
EARTH has two fractional GSIs appointments:
- 0.25 (grader) – ten (10) hours per week
- 0.50 – twenty (20) hours per week
The hours above are averages over the entire term. The workload may be heavy during exam periods and light during breaks.
See the Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student Staff Assistants Appointment Guide with details on the deployment of GSIs. The Graduate Student Mentors (GSMs) assist and support GSIs and help answer questions, or address concerns or problems that arise during teaching. See the EARTH GSI Handbook for information specifically for GSIs and their faculty instructors in EARTH. Additional resources are available at CRLT.