Graduate Assistantships
Application Process
1) Complete the Graduate Assistantship Application form.
2) Contact the department or the Graduate School for information about available positions. Ms. Jessica Wiggins, Graduate School Financial Aid Counselor, can assist you. Please contact her at jwiggins@westga.edu or 678-839-6419.
3) Submit your Graduate Assistantship Application, resume', along with any other requested documents, to the department offering the position in which you are applying if you are aware of an available position. It is preferred that you apply directly to the department(s) in which you are interested in obtaining a position, but we understand that you may need some guidance from the Graduate School Office.
Applicants applying for a Graduate Assistantship in the Richards College of Business must submit two Graduate Assistantship Applicant Evaluation forms to Dr. Hope Udombon, Administrative Director of Graduate Programs, at hudombon@westga.edu.
4) Await calls from departments interested in interviewing you.
5) Once the hiring process is complete, the department/program will notify the Graduate School. Students hired in a Graduate Assistant or Graduate Research Assistant position will receive a nomination letter requesting confirmation of their acceptance of the position. This letter must be returned to the Graduate School within 10 days of its receipt. Your signature also requires you to be aware of the following:
- You must enroll in at least 9 hours of course work to receive an assistantship.
- Unless your cumulative grade point average (Graduate School only) is 3.5 or higher, you will be restricted to taking 9 hours.
- Should you resign from your GA/GRA and/or withdraw from school during the semester, you will be billed a prorated amount of the tuition reduction you received as a result of your appointment as a GA/GRA.
Regulations
Graduate Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants, under the direction of the major department and the Graduate School, are expected to render part-time service to the department in which the appointment is held. Graduate Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week on campus. Graduate Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants should report to his/her department chair for their work assignments unless otherwise specified at the time of hire.
The remainder of the GA's/GRA's time is to be devoted to study in candidacy for a graduate degree. Due to service obligations, GAs and GRAs will not be permitted to carry more than 9 hours wothout special permission from the Dean of the Graduate School. Nine (9) hours is full-time for graduate students. GAs and GRAs needing to take less than 9 hours during a given term must make their request in writing to the Graduate Dean. GAs and GRAs who do not carry full course loads during their enrollment at the University of West Georgia should not expect to graduate with in the minimum time period for completion of their programs.
GAs and GRAs are evaluated at the end of each semester. They will receive a copy of a form evaluating their performance from their supervisor who will discuss the evaluation with them. GAs/GRAs have the right to respond in writing to any comments made in the evaluation. A copy of the evaluation form and the letter, if necessary, will be sent to the Graduate School and filed with the student's record.
Please be aware that you cannot be employed as a Graduate Research Assistant if you have been convicted of a felony anywhere unless that felony has been expunged from your records by way of the "First Offender Act" of some state or a pardon.
Student Health Insurance Policy
The University System of Georgia requires all graduate students receiving a tuition reduction as part of their graduate assistantship award to have health insurance, which meets certain minimum requirements. To learn more about this requirement, go to http://www.westga.edu/~gradsch/forms/printable/SHIP.pdf.