Graduate Assistantships

PURPOSE: To provide graduate students with financial assistance and practical training during their degree work, and to provide faculty with assistance in grading and research.

Types: The EMU-Graduate Assistantship Program Guidelines identifies several types of graduate assistantships. Among these are: departmental, minority, and college work-study. Department of Economics' assistantships are of the departmental type. For more information about the others, please contact the graduate school.

Availability: The number of graduate assistantships available per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) in the Department of Economics is 4.5. Often half-time assistantships are granted so that as many as 9 students may work in a given semester. The number of assistantships available is usually less than the number of applicants, there is a limit of 2 one-academic year appointments per students


Qualifications: Two sets of qualifications are required.

A. Graduate School Requirements:

  1. The applicant must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and have full or conditional admission to an academic department's degree program.
  2. The applicant must possess an undergraduate grade point average equal to the average of students admitted to the college of Arts & Sciences, or a graduate grade point average of at least 3.0.
  3. Students must register for a minimum of 6 credit hours for each semester in which they receive a graduate assistantship appointment (3 credit hours for spring or summer appointments). During their final semester they may carry fewer than 6 hours provided they are registered for at least one graduate level course and they write a request to the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.
  4. International students should normally be in residence on the EMU campus for at least one semester of study before being considered for departmental GA positions, or be available for a personal interview before residing on campus.

B. Department's Requirements:

  1. Student must have completed ECO 301, 302 and 310 (or their equivalent) with minimum grades of B. The student should also have completed ECO 415 with a minimum grade of B, or at least have a reasonable knowledge of computer technology.
  2. Two letters of recommendation from college or university faculty members and/or administrators who are familiar with the student and his/her academic achievements.

C. International Student Application:
In addition to the requirements in (A) and (B), foreign students must also have satisfactory proficiency in spoken and written English.
Procedures:

  1. Contact the graduate school for a Graduate Assistantship Program Application Form. Complete and return this application to the graduate school.
  2. Graduate school processes the application and sends a copy to the department.
  3. The department reviews the applications according to GPA, letters of recommendation, etc., and makes the hiring decision. (See the criteria on the next page.)
  4. Appointments are generally made for one semester at a time.

TIMELINES:
Appointment Begins GA Applications at Graduate School Appointment From Department
Fall April 1 July 1 | Winter October 1 December 1 | Spring March 1 April 1

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
GA Hand Book

Criteria for Hiring New Graduate Assistants (GA's):

  1. Academic performance as indicated by undergraduate (and if available, graduate) grade transcript and by letters of recommendation.
  2. Potential as a graduate assistant as indicated by letters of recommendation.
  3. Previous experience as research assistant and/or familiarity with computers and software programs.

Criteria for Rehiring Graduate Assistants for the Winter that were Working during the Fall.

  1. Academic performance as indicated by grades and class rank in graduate courses during the fall.
  2. Performance as a graduate assistant as indicated by reports from the people the GA works for during the fall.

The director of graduate programs will collect the information in 1 and 2 from the various faculty.

Criteria for Rehiring Graduate Assistants for the Fall that were initially Hired in a Previous Semester.
The same criteria as for hiring a new graduate assistant.

For more information please contact Dr. John Edgren at (734) 487-3068, or
e-mail him at: jedgren@ emich.edu

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Scholarships