Policy

Graduate Assistantships Appointments

Graduate assistantships are awards given to students who are working toward a master’s degree (or equivalent, i.e., 34 credit hours in the doctoral program), a Specialist in Education degree, or the doctoral degree. The stipend associated with this award is for a maximum of half­time duties (20 hours) in two regular semesters. Graduate assistants with half-time duties for two semesters are eligible for a waiver of up to 100% of the instructional tutition, 33% of general fees, and up to 100% of the non-resident surcharge, if applicable. Graduate Assistants are responsible for all other fees, including, but not limited to, health insurance, special purpose, and course fees. The specific details of the GA offer will be included in a formal offer letter each GA receives from Academic Personnel. The student will also be required to pay technology, facilities and metro fees. A tuition waiver and stipend for a graduate assistantship can vary with the work expectations varying proportionally.  For instance a student might receive half of a tuition waiver and half of a normal stipend, and would be expected to work half the hours. An assistantship may be offered in full, three-quarters, half, or one-quarter increments. A student may also be awarded a tuition waiver only (no stipend), with no assistantship expectation. However, students may not be awarded a stipend only as all stipends must be accompanied by a fee waiver.

Academic year appointments begin one week before classes start in the fall semester and end on the last day of final exams during spring semester.

Fall semester appointments begin one week before classes start in fall semester and end on the last day of final exams during fall semester. Spring semester appointments -effective date is determined by duties

• Instructional duties – begin the first day of spring semester and end on the last day of final exams during fall semester.
• Research duties – begin the Monday after New Year’s and end on the last day of final exams during spring semester.
• Administrative duties – begin the Monday after New Year’s and end on the last day of final exams during spring semester.

Graduate assistants may also be eligible to receive Graduate Summer Scholarships or Graduate Summer Research Fellowships (see the sections of this policy titled “Graduate Summer Scholarships” and "Graduate Summer Research Fellowships" below).

Duties of Graduate Assistants

It is the policy of Miami University that graduate assistants will work an assigned number of hours per week based on their appointment. The duties and hours worked per week are determined by the appointment and are set out in the letter the student receives from Academic Personnel offering the assistantship.

• Instructional duties: 20 hours per week for 17 weeks (fall) and 16 weeks (spring)
• Research duties: 18 hours per week for 17 weeks (fall), 3 weeks (winter), 16 weeks (spring).
• Administrative duties: 18 hours per week for 17 weeks (fall), 3 weeks (winter), 16 weeks (spring).

(hours pro-rated for appointments if less than these listed hours per week)

The work assignments will have a clear educational benefit and will be consistent with the awardee’s professional aspirations. Any student who feels that he or she is being asked to work more than the expected hours or whose work assignment consists of a disproportionate amount of clerical and administrative tasks, who has discussed his or her concerns with the appropriate director of graduate studies or supervisor, and who has availed himself or herself of the appropriate departmental grievance procedures without satisfaction should approach the appropriate divisional dean to request a review of the work assignment.

If the award holder is not satisfied by the response of the divisional dean, the award holder should meet with the Dean of the Graduate School, who will first discuss the problem with the divisional dean and the supervisor of the graduate student. If the Dean of the Graduate School is unable to resolve the problem, he or she will appoint an ad hoc subcommittee of the Graduate Council to adjudicate the problem. The decision of the ad hoc subcommittee will be binding on the student and the department or program involved, and there will be no further appeal.

A student’s primary commitment is to his or her studies. Thus, students are prohibited from working more than 28 hours per week during the academic year. International students may not work more than 20 hours per week.

Winter Term Duties Defined

Graduate assistants may or may not be required to be present and complete assistantship duties during winter term. Department chairs or unit supervisors will determine the duties, if any, for their graduate assistants during winter term.

If a graduate assistant does not have duties as assigned by the department or unit supervisor during the winter term, he/she may be paid for an overload assignment; no petition is required.

If a graduate assistant does have duties as assigned by the department or unit supervisor during the winter term, he/she must petition Graduate Council for approval before accepting an overload assignment.

Holding Additional Employment 

Graduate students on full assistantship duties during the academic year (18-20 hours per week) may not hold an additional position at the university during the period of their appointment, unless recommended by the department chair and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.  The award holder must file a petition with the Graduate School to seek approval.

• Graduate Assistants enrolled during the academic year may work up to 40 hours per week during periods without assistantship duties (e.g., break periods, Winter Term or Summer) if enrolled for less than six (6) credit hours.
• Graduate Assistants with a partial assistantship may hold additional positions up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during the academic year.
• Graduate Assistants’ average weekly hours cannot exceed 27 hours for the academic year.

Residence Hall Assistants

Students who hold residence hall assistantships and who must determine their own time schedules will at times work more than twenty hours a week. However, the Office of Residence Life recognizes that its award holders will place their highest priority on their academic performance.

First-year Graduate Assistants 

First-year graduate assistants are not assigned complete responsibility for classroom instruction unless need is demonstrated, the assistant has the necessary competence, and approval is obtained from the divisional dean and the Dean of the Graduate School.

First-year international students awarded assistantships whose native language is not English or who have not earned a degree from an institution in a country where English is the native language will not be assigned significant instructional responsibilities (including laboratory supervision) in their first year of graduate study at Miami (i.e., they can assist a faculty member or senior graduate assistant, but they cannot be given lead or principal responsibility for a class, a discussion session, or a laboratory section), with the exception of students teaching in the foreign languages area in their native language. The following are additional guidelines for international graduate assistants:

• State-supported colleges and universities are required to ensure that instruction by teaching assistants is provided only by persons who have demonstrated oral proficiency in use of the English language.
• Each state University shall establish a program to assess the oral English language proficiency of teaching assistants providing classroom instruction to students.
• Each state University shall ensure that teaching assistants who are not orally proficient in the English language attain such proficiency prior to providing classroom instruction to students.
• The Board of Trustees has authorized the Dean of the Graduate School to administer a program to assess the oral English proficiency of foreign graduate students who have been assigned instructional responsibilities as graduate assistants or teaching fellows. This assessment program shall include the following:
• Administration of a standardized test of oral English proficiency, such as the “Test of Spoken English” developed by the Educational Testing Service.
• Establishment of minimum scores on such a standardized test judged to demonstrate acceptable levels of oral English proficiency.
• Requirement of a course or courses of study to assist foreign graduate students who are identified as having oral English deficiencies prior to assuming assigned instructional responsibilities.

Academic Requirements of Graduate Assistants 

In addition to the responsibilities outlined by their major department, graduate assistants ordinarily must register for a minimum of nine (9) graduate credit hours and a maximum of eighteen (18) hours for each semester of their appointment. With permission students may take undergraduate hours in addition to the minimum number of required graduate credit hours.

Students must maintain satisfactory progress toward the graduate degree. Satisfactory progress means carrying no fewer than the minimum number of graduate hours, maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00, and fulfilling academic requirements for the degree as determined by their department.

Graduate Summer Research Fellowships 

The purpose of the Graduate Summer Research Fellowship is to provide financial support for full-time graduate students to engage in meaningful scholarly activities related to the research requirements for a master's or doctoral degree during a 6-week summer period. The summer research fellowship is intended for students who have no additional means of summer support during the six-week summer period.

The awarding of these fellowships is competitive and subject to the availability of funds.Selection of award recipients will prioritize eligible students who have no additional means of summer support during the six-week summer period (e.g., grant-funded assistantship; external, paid internships; teaching assignments, etc.).

Fellowship Awards

The maximum award is $1500 for a student who has held a Graduate Assistantship for the full academic year. Awards of $750 may also be made to students who held a Graduate Assistantship for one semester and meet all other eligibility criteria, including full-time enrollment for both semesters in the academic year preceding the award.

This award does not provide a tuition waiver for any summer enrollment.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Graduate Summer Research Fellowship, a student must have fulfilled the following requirements:

• Student completed at least nine (9) graduate credit hours in each of the two semesters prior to the summer research fellowship period.
• Student held a full-time (20 hours per week) graduate assistantship or residence hall for at least one full semester during the fall or spring semester preceding the summer research fellowship period.
• Student has made satisfactory progress toward the graduate degree, including:
  • Earned a 3.0 GPA or above (cumulative and in each of the fall and spring semesters prior to the summer research fellowship period)
  • Met departmental milestones on time, including for example: plan of study, research proposal defense, and comprehensive exams, etc. The completion of milestones needs to be documented by the student’s department or program
• Student must either: 
  • be pursuing a thesis-based master's program, specialist program, or doctoral program; or 
  • be enrolled in a program that has a required research project of experience
• Student must be engaged in meaningful research activity as described below in Fellowship expectations

Time Limits

The time limits for the Graduate Summer Research Fellowship program align with the time limits for Graduate Awards as described in the Administration of Graduate Awards Policy. A student is eligible to receive a Graduate Summer Research Fellowship award during the summer following any academic year in which the student was eligible to hold a Graduate Assistantship award. Any extension in eligibility for a Graduate Assistantship beyond the normal time limits, however, does not extend eligibility for the fellowship.

Eligibility for this award ends upon successful completion of degree requirements and successful completion of the final examination for thesis-based masters and doctoral degrees or final degree requirements for non-thesis masters degrees.

Fellowship Expectations

The student must commit to a minimum of 6 weeks of full-time summer study for the activities described below:

• Student must be engaged in one or more of the following meaningful activities over the summer they receive support:
  • Research activities related to degree requirements that will result in a publication, completion of thesis/dissertation and requirements, or provide preliminary data for grant applications
  • Other important activities related to degree completion (e.g., unpaid research-related internships or research independent studies)
• Fellowship recipients are to submit a 1 paragraph description of what was accomplished to the Graduate School before the start of fall semester classes. Failure to do so will result in ineligibility to receive the fellowship in the following year.

Note: Courses taken for P, S, and CR1 grades count toward eligibility for the summer research fellowship; they are not, however, computed in students’ grade point averages. Students who receive F, U, or NCR in such courses will not receive credit towards the summer research fellowship.

Additional Employment during Fellowship

The Graduate Summer Research Fellowship is considered employment for 20 hours per week, for six (6) weeks. Students should not be employed in similar work during the fellowship period, but other forms of additional employment for which the student may be eligible are permitted. For example, a student conducting research during the fellowship period may not hold additional employment for similar research at the same time. However, other employment, including on-campus employment, unrelated to the summer research fellowship, is permitted.

Related Form(s)

Not Applicable.

Additional Resources and Procedures

Not Applicable.

FAQ

Not Applicable.

Policy Administration

Next Review Date

7/1/2027

Responsible Officer

• Dean of the Graduate School
• Provost

Legal Authority

Not Applicable.

Compliance Policy

No

Revision History

 Amended July 2021; Edited November 2021; Amended August 2023; Amended August 2024, Revised 11/2026

Reference ID

Graduate Handbook 3.2

Reviewing Bodies

• Administrative
• University Senate