Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships serve three objectives: to provide students with a meaningful professional experience that will enhance their career goals; to allow students to provide a service to a department within the University; and to provide students with assistance in financing their education.  (This award is not designed to provide students with all funding for their education; students should expect to have additional financial resourses.)

~Applications for 2013-2014 Awards accepted February 27th 2013 - March 27th 2013.~

Graduate students living in the Greater Kansas City area are eligible to be a Graduate Assistant.

Graduate Assistants must be able to travel to assigned offices on a daily basis.

• Assistantship Application form (Please note: only electronic submissions are accepted)
• Note: Graduate Assistantships are not automatically renewed; all students seeking one must apply.

Qualification Standards for Graduate Assistantships

• Assistantships are awarded on a highly competitive basis.  To be considered for a graduate assistantship, applicants must be fully admitted into a graduate degree program in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Graduate students who have completed graduate work before applying must have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on all graduate coursework.
• Evidence of academic excellence and professional skills are primary requirements for receiving and holding Assistantships.
• Applicants whose native language is other than English must meet one of the following requirements:
  • Have on file at the School of Graduate and Professional Studies an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS (or other acceptable) test score for the English language
  • Be a graduate of a United States university
  • Take COMPASS test through the Park University EIL Program, whose director will convey recommendation to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies regarding the test results and his/her interview of the student
• If applicants have any accounts with Park University, all balances must be paid in full.
• Outside employment by graduate assistants is prohibited. In rare cases, exceptions can be made for up to ten hours a week and only with the prior approval of the graduate assistant’s academic advisor, assistantship supervisor, and the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Categories of Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are divided into three categories: general Graduate Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, and Graduate Teaching Assistantships.

• Graduate Assistant (GA)
  General GA responsibilities may be administrative in nature and consist of duties unrelated directly to teaching or research (such as scanning, filing, program planning, advising student groups, and assisting with the administration of student admission services office). GA responsibilities may also be academic in nature and include grading examinations, problem sets, and/or assisting professors to get their teaching materials ready for lectures. Some of these assistantships may be supplemented with additional benefits and work requirements, depending on the unit to which the GA is assigned.
• Graduate Research Assistant (GRA)
  Graduate research assistants conduct academically important research under the direction of a faculty member, who is generally a principal investigator of the research projects.  Graduate research assistantships are awarded by departments and professors who are involved in research projects. Research assistantships offer excellent opportunities to participate in continuing research developments at Park University.

Work Requirements

Graduate assistants are required to work for at least 20 hours per week on average.  Students may not be required to report to work during school breaks, unless otherwise required to do so by the supervisor.

Compensation

All Graduate Assistants receive the following:

• A stipend of $9,000 for the academic year beginning August 15 and ending May 15, payable in ten monthly increments.
• Six graduate credit hours of tuition waived per semester (three credits per 8-week term), or 12 per academic year.
• A stipend of $2,000 may also be available for the summer if there is a relevant University need for which the student may be assigned work.

Basic Requirements of Graduate Assistants

• Must be enrolled in six graduate credit hours per semester (or three credits per 8 week term)
• Maintain a 3.0 GPA to hold assistantships (departmental requirements may be higher)
• Make satisfactory progress toward degree as defined by academic departments and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies
• Continue to meet qualification standards for the award
• Satisfactory completion of duties as assigned by supervisor

Application Process

Students applying for a graduate assistantship must electronically transmit an application packet to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies via e-mail to Betty Deck at betty.deck@park.edu.  Only completed packets will be accepted.  Packets must include the following documents:

• Completed Assistantship Application form

• Current resume

• Three letters of recommendation attesting to the student's ability to perform duties of a graduate assistant , unless they are already on file in Graduate Admission at Park University.

Appointment Process

The appointment process will begin about May 15 each year.  Appointment authorization is made by letter from the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Terms of Appointment

• Duration:
• Graduate Assistantships are awarded for the term of one academic year, and may be renewed to a maximum of two years, excluding summers.
• Renewals of Graduate Assistantships for a second year are made on a competitive basis; current GA's must apply.
• Single-semester appointments may be made.
• Enrollment in six graduate credit hours per semester, maintaining a 3.0 GPA, in order to maintain their assistantship. 
• Maintenance of appropriate performance of their assigned duties and responsibilities.
• Demonstration of conduct in compliance with standards outlined in the Park University Student Handbook and the Employee Handbook.

Supervision

Graduate assistants must be evaluated every semester by their faculty member/supervisor. Supervisors, with the graduate assistant’s professional development in mind, must establish goals and guidelines appropriate to the assigned tasks and base their evaluation on those goals and guidelines. 

Evaluations are submitted to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at the end of each semester.

Persons holding graduate assistantships must be treated fairly and professionally, consistent with the highest professional standards.

Termination

Maintaining the award of a graduate assistantship is subject to satisfactory performance of assigned duties, progress towards the degree and maintenance of a minimum of 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).  Those who fail to meet these standards may lose their assistantship.

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