A GUIDE TO

GRADUATE
ASSISTANTSHIPS
AT WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

3. About this Guide

3. About the Author
4. West Virginia University Graduate Assistantship Facts
5. Types of Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Teaching Assistants

What does a typical week look like for a GTA?

6. Graduate Research Assistants

What does a GRA primarily do?

7. Graduate Service Assistants

Regular vs. Partial Graduate Assistants

Are there opportunities for summer term assistantships?

8. Student Testimonial
9. How do You Apply for a Graduate Assistantship?
10. Next Steps
11. Additional Resources
12. Get in Touch

2
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This guide will showcase
the various graduate
assistantships that
students at West
Virginia University
can apply for while
enrolled in an advanced
academic program.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelly Stump is the Interim Director of
Enrollment Management and Services and
of Graduate Admissions & Recruitment
at West Virginia University. Shelly helps
to develop and implement marketing
strategies that focus on increasing
graduate student enrollment across West
Virginia University. She also serves as a
liaison with each College, School and Unit
to support increased growth among the
graduate student population.

3
WEST VIRGINIA UNI-
VERSITY GRADUATE
ASSISTANTSHIP FACTS
West Virginia University awards approximately 1,700 graduate
assistantships annually to incoming and continuing students.
See more:
Students considered for a graduate assistantship must be ac- Benefits
cepted into a degree program and are required to be enrolled
full time — nine credits or more. Eligibility

West Virginia University’s graduate assistantships are support- Enrollment

ed by state appropriations, federal funds, private grants, and Requirements
contracts. Information about available graduate assistantships
is available from students’ programs, assistantship supervi- Expectations and
sors, the Office of Student Employment, and other sources. Responsibilities

Appointment Deadlines
Provided below are the detailed policies, procedures, and
guidelines for graduate assistantships at West Virginia Universi- Evaluation,Termination,
ty. Additional details about the terms of employment for individ-
and Resignation
ual graduate assistants are included in the assistantship con-
tract or letter of appointment. Exceptions to these policies Summer Enrollment
require approval from the Office of Graduate Education and Life. Guidelines

4
TYPES OF GRADUATE
ASSISTANTSHIPS
Graduate Teaching
Assistants

Graduate teaching assistants teach courses, laboratory

sections, and recitation sections, or provide other forms
of instructional assistance. These assistantships are
generally available only through the academic units.
They are offered for two semesters and include an auto-
matic tuition waiver and a stipend of approximately
$1300-$1600 per month plus health insurance.

5
Graduate Research
Assistants
Graduate research assistants help
faculty members with their re-
search activities. Research assis-
tantships are primarily funded by
grants and other third party sourc-
es. Because the arrival of these
funds at the University may not
coincide with the beginning of an
academic term, University policy
is that the deadline for research
assistant appointments is no later
than the end of the fifth week of
classes in the fall or spring term.
Graduate research assistantships
are offered by faculty members
who have external funding avail-
able and need the assistance of a
qualified graduate student with
specific strengths. GRAs are re-
tained based on performance from
semester to semester. Both mas-
ter’s students and PhD students
are eligible for GRA roles, but how
many positions are offered is com-
pletely up to the faculty members
who can use research funds to
extend GRA offers.
A student with a graduate research
assistantship position gets an au-
tomatic tuition waiver and a sti-
pend plus health insurance.
Note: Stipends at WVU range, be-
cause it depends on what is spec-
ified in a grant.
What does a GRA
primarily do?
A graduate research assistant will
typically work in the STEM fields
and will help with data collection,
analysis, writing, and lab work. A
GRA’s primary job is to assist fac-
ulty with their research, which is
commonly grant-funded research.
6
Graduate Service Regular vs. Partial
Assistants Graduate Assistants

Graduate service assistants work The only difference between regu-

in positions that are related to their lar and partial graduate assistants
program of study and that contrib- is that regular graduate assistants
ute to their educational experi- work 20 hours per week, and par-
ence. Graduate service assistants tial graduate assistants work 10
typically work in one of the admin- hours per week.
istrative or service offices of WVU
like the Office of Graduate Educa- Are there opportunities
tion and Life, Deans’ Offices, or for summer term assis-
business offices like Student Ac-
tantships?
counts. Most GA positions provide
a stipend as well as a tuition waiver.
There are fewer summer term as-
sistantships available, but many
Graduate service assistants may
students are hired to teach
be appointed at any time but will
summer courses and are able to
only receive a waiver of University
help faculty with research or ser-
tuition and student health insur-
vice activities during the summer.
ance if they are appointed by the
end of the fifth week of classes in
the fall or spring term.

7
 Meet Cullen Boyle, a PhD student in the Mechanical & Aerospace En-
gineering department. We asked him some questions regarding his ex-
perience as a participant in a graduate research assistantship, and this
is what he had to say.

WVU: What kind of graduate assistantship did you participate in?

CB: Graduate Research Assistantship

WVU: How long did you have the GA position?

CB: Since September 2014. Almost 2 years and 7 months.

WVU: What is your field of study? What department are you in? And
when will you graduate?
CB: I am in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering department. I am studying
Mechanical Engineering and my research is Materials Science related. I will defend my
dissertation in May and will graduate this summer.

WVU: Were you in a regular or partial GA position?

CB: I am in a regular GA position.
STUDENT TESTIMONIAL

WVU: What kind of responsibilities did you have?

CB: Some but not all responsibilities are as follows:

• Processing and fabrication in the lab

• Communicating and ordering gasses and materials from companies
• Maintaining, setting up, relocating, and calibrating instruments
• Contacting EHS for waste removal
• Mentoring and teaching undergraduate and graduate students

WVU: In what ways was the GA position rewarding and educational?

CB: I have experienced juggling multiple tasks at once in which I am expected to meet
deadlines, outside of the classroom that is. I have better learned to move forward with my
own goals and responsibilities while helping others progress as well. I have had hands-on
experience in the lab which will make me more marketable in finding a career. I have in
some sense managed the labs in that I have slowly taken on more and more responsibility
to make sure everything is in place, running smoothly, and up to health code.

WVU: If you could give one piece of advice to a prospective graduate

assistant, what would it be?
CB: My advice would be to make sure you find a project you are genuinely interested in.
Don’t choose something just to fulfill your graduation checklist. This will allow you to
immerse yourself in your research and be fully engaged. In turn, this will allow you to have
a higher understanding at a faster rate enabling you to ask certain questions which will be
vital to one’s growth in their particular research field and on a personal level. It may not be
your future career path, but it can be used as a foundation for later on and help shape you
into the person you hope to become.
8
HOW DO PROSPECTIVE WVU
STUDENTS GET STARTED
ON THEIR SEARCH FOR A
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP?
If you are a prospective student of WVU, you
should first check with your program contact at
time of admission to see if there are any graduate
assistantships available. You can also contact the
Office of Student Employment for assistance!

9
NEXT STEPS
If you want more information about
graduate admission requirements,
graduate assistantships, financial aid,
or the graduate application process,
visit the Office of Graduate Admissions
& Recruitment at the website below:

Learn More About Graduate Programs at WVU

Are you ready to learn more about the

graduate assistantships at WVU?

Learn More about Applying to WVU’s Graduate Assistantships

10
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Summit Ahead

The Summit Ahead is a weekly blog that helps make the journey from consider-
ing graduate school to enrolling in a graduate program easier by publishing
content that will be helpful to you as you discern if, when, and where, to pursue
your next degree.

Charting Your Ascent

Charting Your Ascent is a weekly newsletter that covers the trends, conversa-
tions, and research happening in and around the world that might affect you as a
working professional.

CHECK
OUT OUR
OTHER
GUIDES

Regardless of what your “why” At West Virginia University, we

for considering graduate school
is, this guide will help you along
your journey to “making a
decision” by giving you a
rundown of the most important
things to consider before first,
deciding to go to graduate
school and second, deciding
where to go to graduate school.
know that making the decision
to enroll in a graduate program
is an important investment. And
that’s why we’re here to guide
you as you figure out how to
finance your master’s degree.
This guide will help you to
weigh your options when it
comes to figuring out how to
finance your master’s degree.
11
GET IN TOUCH
ABOUT GRADUATE SCHOOL AT WVU:
West Virginia University is located in beautiful Morgantown, WV, a commu-
nity noted for its central location near Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.,
Cleveland, and New York City. Founded in 1867 as a land-grant institution,
WVU promises to “… deliver high-quality education, excel in discovery and
innovation, model a culture of diversity and inclusion, promote health and
vitality, and build pathways for the exchange of knowledge and opportunity
between the state, the nation, and the world.”

The stimulating graduate community of scholar-teachers and passionate

learners at WVU creates an environment that welcomes your desire to
grow, to learn, and to add to the growing body of knowledge in your field.
As a WVU graduate learner, you engage in internationally recognized
academic programs.

To learn more about graduate school at West Virginia University, visit us

online at graduate.wvu.edu.

CONNECT WITH WVU

West Virginia University Office of Graduate Admissions and Recruitment
PO Box 6510, Morgantown, WV 26506-6510

304-293-5980 | graduateadmissions@mail.wvu.edu