Graduate Teaching Assistantships
Each year, the Department of English offers a limited number of Teaching Assistantships to graduate students. To be eligible for a Teaching Assistantship, a candidate must apply for one of the areas: Composition and Rhetoric, Literature or TESOL. Any applicant who wishes to be considered for an assistantship indicates that preference when completing their application. Assistantships are competitive and will be awarded following virtual interviews with selected candidates.
First consideration for students who hope to start teaching assistantships in the following fall semester will be given to applications received by January 15th. The final deadline for TA applications is March 1st.
The English Department Graduate Committee will review the application materials of those requesting consideration as Teaching Assistants, will rank the credentials and supporting materials of those applicants, and then will virtually interview the highest ranking candidates.
Salisbury University has a strong institutional commitment to diversity and is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, providing equal employment and educational opportunities to all those qualified, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.
Rewards and Responsibilities of the Teaching Assistant
Successful candidates who are offered and accept Teaching Assistantships will receive a yearly stipend of $15,000 as well as a full tuition waiver for up to 36 credits (exclusive of fees). Assistantships are usually renewed for the second year of study. Teaching Assistants must enroll for a minimum of six (6) credits per semester, and the tuition waiver will cover a maximum of 18 credits per academic year. (TAs are responsible for paying the normal student fees).
In addition to taking courses, each Teaching Assistant (TA) will be responsible for teaching three sections of our required First Year Writing course English 103: Composition and Research during the academic year. Usually, first year TAs teach one section of ENGL 103 during the fall semester and two sections of ENGL 103 during the spring semester. In the second year, that workload is usually reversed—two sections in the fall and one in the spring.
Working approximately twenty (20) hours per week during four semesters under the Director of First Year Writing provides a usefully varied and valuable apprenticeship for a career in teaching. Mentoring by the supervisor includes pre-semester training and guidance sessions, regular weekly meetings, grading sessions, classroom observations, and other strategies to provide the most beneficial guidance for the assistant.