Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) receive a stipend each semester, along with 100% remission of their tuition, and pay in-state fees. During their first term, Teaching Assistants tutor in the UMSL Writing Center, serve as apprentice teachers in English 1100: First-Year Writing, and participate in other professional development activities; they typically undertake a mix of Writing Center tutoring and teaching after that, depending on the needs of the department. GTAs can expect to work 20 hours per week.
Positions are renewable for up to four semesters (MA, 30-hour program) or six semesters (MFA, 39-hour program). The renewal is contingent on satisfactory performance. Some Summer teaching or tutoring opportunities, which carry tuition remission and a per-course stipend, may be available. The Graduate School requires that GTAs enroll in at least six hours each term.
Applications for admission to the MA or MFA program must be submitted prior to applications for Teaching Assistantships. Instructions for applying to graduate school at UMSL can be found on the Graduate School website.
In addition to your MA or MFA application, required materials for Graduate Teaching Assistantships in English include:
1. A current CV/resume. Please include names and contact information for two references we can contact (references can be professors or from other professional networks); please let them know that they will be contacted.
2. A cover letter. Please describe your interest in graduate school and in the Graduate Teaching Assistantship (around 500-750 words). In your cover letter, please address:
- Why are you pursuing graduate coursework in English?
- Why do you want to pursue a teaching assistantship as part of your graduate work?
- Your cover letter should include some discussion of how you want to approach tutoring and/or teaching. If you have prior teaching or tutoring experience, you might touch on that in this letter. But you can also offer insights based on your own experiences as a learner and/or how you envision your future teacherly identity and commitments.
3. An academic or non-fiction writing sample, or digital project. Choose a work that, in addition to showcasing your writing, highlights your academic and/or creative voice.
Email all application materials by March 1 to Shane Seely, graduate director, at seelys@umsl.edu. Any additional inquiries can also be directed to him.
Assistantships are usually awarded by mid-April. GTAs typically begin their work at the start of the fall term.
