The Elm

A GTA is a graduate student whose focus is on assisting with teaching within a course or program. The specific duties of a GTA vary from one program to another, but for the majority of GTAs, assignments, and responsibilities fall into the following categories:

• Administration of community programs or workshops. 
• Assisting a faculty member in advising, grading, proctoring, and administrative duties associated with a course or courses.
• Teaching responsibility for a laboratory or discussion session of a course, or
• Teaching responsibility for a classroom section of a multi-sectional course, under the close supervision of the course director.  

All degree levels (PhD, MS, and PBC) are eligible to be a GTA. A graduate teaching assistant must be a registered graduate student, enrolled full-time in a degree program, who is making satisfactory progress toward a degree. All graduate students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. The appointee should hold an appropriate baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Appointments are normally given to those students who have shown superior aptitude in their field of study and who appear likely to render a high quality of service to the university by their teaching and research activities. (See page 5 of the Graduate Assistant Guide)

GTAs are awarded with the intent of both providing financial support and contributing to the recipient’s professional development. In all instances, it is understood that the graduate student’s priority should be his or her studies and at the doctoral level, research. GTAs whose terms of appointment include a work component are not, therefore, expected to work more than 20 hours per week on any project or set of projects not directly related to their dissertation research.  

As GTAs are student employees of the University, they qualify for tuition remission. GTA appointment status determines tuition remission benefits. Full- time graduate assistants (20 hours per week) receive 10 credit hours tuition remission in the fall and spring semesters. Half-time graduate assistants (10 hours per week) receive 5 credit hours tuition remission and one-half student health in the fall and spring semesters, or 10 credits of tuition remission in the fall or spring only. The Graduate School does not offer tuition remission for winter or summer sessions.

Appointments start on September 1, 2020.

Submit GTA requests to Celeste Gerhart in the Office of Academic Affairs at cgerhart@umaryland.edu.