Teaching Assistantships (TAship or GTAship) are awarded on a competitive basis in the admissions process. Not all students who are admitted will receive an offer with a Teaching Assistantship. For students who do receive a TAship offer with admission:
- MA students admitted to the program who are offered a TA ship are typically offered two years of funding.
- PhD students admitted to the program who are offered a TAship are typically offered five years of funding.
Benefits
The Department of English offers a number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (TAs) each year. These assistantships include:
- Biweekly stipend
- Full tuition remission*
- Health insurance eligibility
* Students are responsible for segregated fees.
For more information on TA benefits, please contact the Graduate Studies Program Associate at gradeng@uwm.edu.
Requirements
- The number of years of assistance the student might receive is counted from the date of enrollment in the program, not from the date that the TAship was awarded.
- New students can apply for a TAship by completing the Financial Aid and Teaching Assistantships questionnaire in the Panthera graduate admission application.
- Teaching assistantships in coursework are required to take a minimum of two courses per semester for a total of six credits.
- New TAs are typically required to take English 700, Teaching Writing Practicum, a 1 credit course, in their first semester.
- Most first-year TAs have a 2-1 teaching load; that is, new TAs teach two classes in the fall semester and one in the spring semester.
- In the following years, all TAs teach 2-2. Most TAs begin teaching first-year writing and continue to teach various writing courses throughout their assistantships. In later years they also have the opportunity to teach courses in literary studies, creative writing, film studies, media studies, women’s studies, professional writing, and occasionally courses for other departments or programs.
- Assistantships are for the academic year only.
- To review the complete set of rules regarding Teaching Assistantship renewals, please see the department’s Graduate Student Handbook.