Application Process for Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are available for 10 or 20 hours per week. Applications must be filed by March 1 for fall semester and by October 1 for spring semester.

Each year, the Womack Educational Leadership Department and the Professional Counseling Program employ several graduate assistants. Graduate assistants perform a wide variety of duties, depending on faculty needs and the assistant’s skills and background. Some graduate assistants provide receptionist and/or secretarial services at the MTSU Center for Counseling & Psychological Services and the Womack Educational Leadership Department. Others assist faculty with administrative and course-related tasks and research studies. Sometimes graduate students procure assistantships outside of the department. Prospective applicants are urged to contact the College of Graduate Studies (see Graduate Assistantships tab) or Financial Aid & Scholarship Office to learn about these opportunities.

Designated personnel in the Womack Educational Leadership Department select graduate assistants (GAs) from a pool of applicants each spring and fall. With the approval of the department chair, the selected students begin their assistantships the following semester. Alternates are also selected in the spring to fill any openings that occur during the academic year due to illnesses, resignations, etc. Graduate assistants are evaluated each semester by the faculty members to whom they are assigned and by designated personnel in the Womack Educational Leadership Department. If a GA’s evaluation is favorable and the position continues to be available, the GA may serve in the department for up to 4 semesters (and, in some unique situations, for 5 semesters). Graduate students who do not have full time employment may be given preference.

NOTE: Students must take a minimum of 6 hours of coursework each semester if they are requesting financial aid, even during their last semester in the program. GAs must take at least 6 hours of coursework per semester unless it is their last semester and they have completed all but one class – and then they may request permission to take only 3 hours.

To be a candidate for the graduate assistant position, prospective students need to submit a Graduate Assistantship Application by March 1 (for the Fall semester) and October 1 (for the Spring semester). Failure to submit on time may jeopardize a prospective applicant’s chances for being hired.

After the deadline, applications will be reviewed.  Final applicants will be notified about participating in an interview.