Graduate Assistantships

These positions are offered through various departments and are paid by grants or state funds. Students interested in these positions must contact the department for specific requirements. A full time graduate assistantship (20 hours per week) along with a minimum of 6 credits of course work (9 credits for students on federal financial aid) is considered full time.  While the Graduate School cannot monitor outside or additional employment for students on assistantships, such additional work is discouraged as it may impede academic success and timely progress towards degree completion.  In some departments, acceptance of an assistantship is contingent upon agreeing to limited additional employment. The Graduate School is responsible for approval of graduate assistantships after a department has requested the initiation of a contract. All positions are contingent upon available funding.

Graduate assistants perform a variety of duties from teaching undergraduate classes to grading papers, to conducting research in laboratories. Teaching assistants receive special teaching-skills training through the Graduate School All graduate students holding an assistantship (teaching TA or research RA) are considered Nevada residents for tuition purposes. Non-resident tuition is only waived for the duration of the assistantship.

To be eligible for an assistantship, students must be admitted to a degree-granting program and be in good academic standing. The student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and must be continuously enrolled in at least 6 graduate level credits (600-700) throughout the duration of the assistantship (upon approval of the Graduate Dean, English Bridge Course credits may be used to help satisfy the enrollment requirements.) A student enrolled in a prescribed program is ineligible for a teaching or research assistantship.

State-funded assistantships (TA/RA) may be held for a maximum of:

  • Three (3) years for master's degree students;
  • Five (5) years for doctoral degree students;
  • Six (6) years for students continuing with doctoral studies after completing a master's degree.

International students serving as Teaching Assistants must meet a minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 (paper version), 213 (computer version) and pass the SPEAK Test with a score of 50. (To make an appointment to take the SPEAK test, please contact IELC at 784-6075. The cost of the test is $60). If you have taken the iBT (internet based version) of the TOFEL you must score 79/80 total and have a score of 24 on the speaking section of the test.  The International Language Testing System (IELTS) score of a 7 can substitute for the TOFEL. (A score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) can be substituted for the Speak Test.)