Teaching Assistantships
Criteria for Teaching Assistant Awards
The awarding of teaching assistantships is a very competitive process. Teaching assistants may be assigned to two types of work: support
and independent section T.A.'s. Support T.A. positions assist a faculty member teaching a large course. Independent section T.A.'s teach their own classes. These T.A.'s must have at least an M.A. and significant
professional experience. See the next section for more on the specific expectations for both types of teaching assignments. The following
criteria (not necessarily in order of rank) are used in awarding T.A.'s:
- Grades: This typically includes overall GPA, but may also focus on grades in more recent years
(especially for students whose education covers more years than usual or for students whose grades show substantial change
over time) and on grades in the degree area (political science and/or criminal justice).
- GRE Scores
- Letters of Reccommendation for Students Applyiing to Our Department: New students who are interested in
receiving a T.A. should encourage their referees to speak to their potential classroom strengths.
- Faculty Course Evaluations of Current Students: Each Ph.D. student will be evaluated in writing by the
chair of her/his committee in terms of their performance in the program. Faculty evaluations of T.A.'s will also be used.
- Relevant Course Background:Students who have had a substantial amount of course work in the field of their
graduate degree (criminal justice and criminology) are more likely to receive funding, other things being equal, than are
students with little or no relevant course work.
- Field Distribution Concerns: We try to maintain some degree of balance in the overall distribution of T.A.
slots to the distribution of T.A. support needs for courses and to provide some spread of support across Ph.D. fields. We need
grading help in a number of fields, and if we are particularly shorthanded in a field, a graduate student with some background
in that field will have an advantage in competing for funding relative to a student with little or no background in that field.
- Work performance: Current T.A.'s who have performed well on the job are more likely to be continued than are
T.A.'s who do not perform well.
- Special Concerns: Some of the T.A. slots include instructional duties, including teaching independent sections
and leading sections of large Crm J 101 and 150 classes. For these slots, previous T.A. or teaching
experience is important. In addition, a record of excellent performance in relevant
courses is also important.
Procedures for Application
The deadline for application for departmental teaching assistantships is
FEBRUARY 15 each year for the following academic year.
Students may obtain the department's uniform funding application from the graduate coordinator.
