Graduate Assistant Appointment Procedures
To find an available Assistantship, please get in touch with your department, a department related to your field of study, or a university support services office. Also, visit Career Connections to search for assistantship opportunities.
Students apply for an assistantship through TWU Connect and Handshake.
Please note that admission to the Graduate School and enrollment in graduate courses must precede an appointment to a graduate assistantship.
Departmental Contract Letter
Each department/academic component will issue a contract letter to each applicant they wish to employ.
Personnel Transaction Form
The academic component leader or department will then process a Personnel Transaction Form (PTF), to be approved and signed by the Dean/Supervisor of the College/School/Office and forwarded to the Graduate School to verify the applicant's admission status, salary level, workload, and dates of employment and then send it to the Office of Academic Financial Services for approval. Students must have been admitted to a graduate program and must enroll in at least 5 semester credit hours during both the fall and spring semesters before an assistantship is approved. The minimum course load for which graduate assistants must be enrolled for summer is 5 semester credit hours for .50 FTE and 3 semester credit hours for a .25 FTE. Summer enrollment includes enrollment any time during summer I, summer II, and/or summer III terms (6/1-8/31).
PTFs for students not meeting the minimum requirements will not be approved and will be returned to the component for appropriate action. All approved PTFs will be forwarded to the Office of Academic Financial Services.
During the fall and spring semesters, graduate assistants are paid monthly on the first working day of the month following the month worked. Graduate assistants who have summer appointments are paid in three monthly installments.
For a Graduate Assistant to receive a paycheck, the PTF must be approved and in the Office of Academic Financial Services by the published payroll deadline. Payroll deadlines vary each month; schedules are available in the office of Human Resources. GAs are required to complete certain forms in the Office of Human Resources by the payroll deadline before receiving the first paycheck. Therefore, graduate assistants should go to the Human Resources Office as soon as their applications are approved to complete the necessary forms and to provide proof of citizenship, usually by means of a driver's license and Social Security Card or a passport.
Applications should be processed through the academic components by June 1 for an assistantship for the fall semester, by November 1 for an assistantship for the spring semester, and by April 1 for an assistantship for the succeeding summer session.
Appointments for assistantships are issued for an academic year (Sept. 1 - May 31), semester, or summer session (6/1-8/31). Appointment dates follow the fiscal calendar and include the following periods:
Fall - September 1 through January 15
Spring - January 16 through May 31
Summer - June 1 through August 31
Depending upon the period of appointment, a GA is entitled to official university holidays and the same work period as the faculty unless exceptions have been agreed upon in writing in advance by the GA and supervisor.
Reappointment to an assistantship is contingent upon prior performance, departmental research and teaching needs, and available funds. The number of years a student may hold a graduate assistantship depends upon the level of the degree program of the student. For a student at the master's level, the maximum number of years will be three. For a student at the doctoral level, the maximum number of years will be six. Only under extenuating circumstances may an extension of an additional semester or year be granted by the request of the head of the student's component leader. Ensuring academic success is of the highest importance. Provisionally admitted students on probation and students lacking progress may be removed from an assistantship.
