Graduate Student Assistantships include Graduate Student Instructors, Graduate Student Staff Assistants, and Graduate Student Research Assistants. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours in the Fall/Winter semesters in order to hold these positions.
LSA prefers graduate students limit employment in any given semester to a maximum of 26 standard hours per week (a total of 65% effort from all sources). In the event a graduate student wishes to exceed this preferred hours per week cap, the Department in which the graduate student is pursuing his/her degree must first request and be granted an exception by the Dean's Office.
Also, keep in mind that visa restrictions prohibit international students from working more than 20 hours per week. See the International Center for more information.
Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs)
GSIs allow graduate students to share their academic discipline expertise with LSA undergraduate students. They are employed to teach in classrooms and office hours. For the specific duties of a GSI, please see the GEO Contract, Article I.B.5.
LSA requires that GSIs have at least 20 hours of pedagogy training to prepare for teaching undergraduate students, but many students have many more hours of preparation. Students whose undergraduate education was not conducted exclusively in English are given training and testing opportunities to teach in Michigan’s dynamic classrooms.
Please contact your graduate program for more information regarding available GSI positions and required training.
Graduate Student Staff Assistants (GSSAs)
Graduate Student Staff Assistants are administrative in nature and academically relevant to the student’s degree program. For a specific definition of a GSSA, please see the GEO Contract, Article I.B.6.
Graduate Student Research Assistants (GSRAs)
Graduate Student Research Assistants perform research relevant to their degree programs, usually in conjunction with a faculty member. GSRAs are not governed by the GEO contract. For more information about GSRA appointments, please see the Academic HR website.
Graduate Students Teaching as Instructor of Record
If you are interested in serving as an Instructor of Record (IoR), please contact your department for available opportunities.
Requests for students to serve as IoRs must be submitted by department administration. More information about this process can be found on the Graduate Students Teaching as Instructor of Record page.
