Graduate
Qualifications: Prospective English graduate applicants wishing to be considered for teaching assistantships must meet all departmental and Graduate School requirements for admission and submit all required application materials by the January 2 deadline. There is not a separate application for teaching assistantships.
Appointment: The Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors Committee (TA/AIC) makes recommendations to the Chairman of the Department of English, who must approve all appointments before forwarding them to the Dean for final approval. Candidates will be appointed either as TA 1 (those who hold only a BA degree) or as TA 2 (those with an MA in English or 30 hours of approved coursework). Appointments are normally made for nine months. All TAs must be unconditionally admitted to the Graduate School and currently enrolled in nine semester hours of course work. All TAs must remain in good standing academically and must make satisfactory progress in their degree programs.
Compensation: The stipend for TAs in 2007-2008 is $12,520 for TAs without an MA or equivalent, and $13,792 for TAs with an MA or equivalent. TAs receive free health insurance and a taxable tuition benefit of $3,012 each long semester, before taxes. TAs who are not legal residents of Texas also receive an in-state tuition entitlement. Tuition and fees for a full-time English graduate student in Fall 2007 will approach $3,050. The total value of the compensation comes to roughly $22,962, or $24,234 for TAs with an MA or equivalent.
Duties: TAs assist a faculty member in a large lecture section, usually a sophomore-level survey of American, British or World literature, by leading weekly discussion sections, grading student papers, and holding conference hours with students to discuss their papers. In addition to attending each class, TAs meet regularly with their faculty supervisor.
Reappointment: Normally all TAs making satisfactory progress and performing teaching duties satisfactorily are reappointed. Reappointments are announced in the spring semester, as early as budgetary approval permits, for the following fall, and are subject to administrative approval.