Graduate students with service assistantships (i.e., teaching, research, administrative, and housing) work a maximum of 20
hours per week when classes are in session. Students with dissertation fellowships (see below) may not engage in any employment
during the period of their appointment.
Supplemental Employment
Because academic success is the primary goal of graduate study, graduate assistants are discouraged from working more than
20 hours per week, including the assistantship assignment, when classes are in session. Graduate assistants should confer
with their graduate coordinators before accepting additional employment, whether on or off campus. Dissertation fellow appointees
may not engage in any employment during the period of their appointments. Federal regulations strictly prohibit international
students from working more than 20 hours per week.
Before a graduate assistant contracts with an on-campus unit for additional employment, a Graduate Assistant Supplemental
Payment form must be submitted to the Graduate College. The signature on this form indicates that the graduate coordinator,
chair, or director has been informed of the student's intent to take on supplemental work. Each degree program is encouraged
to establish guidelines for deciding the appropriate extent of supplemental employment.
The Graduate Assistant Supplemental Payment form separates the approval of supplemental employment for graduate assistants
from that for faculty and staff; it clearly states the limitations on supplemental employment by graduate assistants. It calls
for the graduate coordinator or chair/director (and the assistantship supervisor in the event that this individual is outside
the program in which the student is enrolled) to certify that the supplemental work will not interfere with the student’s
academic program and assistantship responsibilities. The signature of the Graduate Dean will be routine unless the magnitude
of the supplemental employment raises concerns.
Teaching, Research and Administrative Assistantships
Graduate assistantships are available through the programs offering graduate degrees. These positions give students financial
aid as well as the opportunity to acquire valuable experience. As of fall semester 2004, doctoral students are eligible for
stipends from $5,370 to $12,623 for the academic year. Positions at the master’s level pay between $3,818 and $10,100. Both
require a registration for 12 hours of graduate credit each semester. All Graduate Assistants also receive a Tuition Scholarship
Grant for the period of the award which includes full payment of the student's instructional, non-resident & general fee.
Renewals of assistantship awards are possible.
Funding as a graduate student is available for a maximum of two academic years at the predoctoral level and a maximum of four
years, depending on the program, at the doctoral degree level. A maximum of six years of funding, depending on the program,
is specified for a student who completes both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree at this university.
To retain an appointment, graduate assistants must be appropriately enrolled, must make satisfactory progress toward a degree,
and must perform duties satisfactorily according to the terms of the appointment. A student’s funding is terminated if he
or she is suspended for ethical or legal misconduct as specified in the Student Code.
The instructional, nonresident, general, and automobile registration fees are paid by the University during the period of
the appointment for graduate assistants. Instructional, nonresident, and automobile fee payments may also be extended as a
professional courtesy for the following summer. Registered graduate students not receiving an assistantship during the summer
must pay the general fee.
Application forms for assistantships and letters of recommendation should be submitted to the chair or academic program director
in the winter preceding the academic year for which the appointment is desired (program literature should be consulted for
specific deadlines). At the same time, an application for admission to the Graduate College should be filed. Applications
are available on request from the Graduate College or the graduate department. A bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for funding
of graduate assistantships. Official certification from the degree-granting institution is required to document completion
of all requirements for the baccalaureate degree.
For more financial aid information visit http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/gradcol/page24961.html.
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