Arts & Sciences Interdepartmental Teaching Assistantships

The Arts & Sciences Interdepartmental Teaching Assistantship program is designed to help departments find qualified TAs to meet their instructional needs.

Each year certain departments in the College of Arts & Sciences face more of a demand for instruction than they can fill from their graduate student population. Other departments often have qualified graduate students but not enough TA positions.

Interdepartmental TAships permit the departments with instructional needs (the “importing” departments) to use qualified graduate students from other departments (the “exporting” departments) to teach courses.

Process for Applying for Arts & Sciences Interdepartmental Teaching Assistantships

Each importing department has its own eligibility criteria and application form. The criteria and forms are available here:

English Application Form
English Application Criteria

Spanish & Portuguese Application Form
Spanish & Portuguese Application Criteria
 
Foreign Languages & Literatures Application Form
Foreign Languages & Literarures Application Criteria

General Instructions

1. By February 15, each importing department will determine which current Interdepartmental TAs will be reappointed for the following year and will report this to the Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences.
     
2. By March 1, the Associate Dean will notify each importing department how many Interdepartmental TA appointments the College will support in the following year.
     
3. During admission season, as exporting departments admit students to whom they cannot offer financial support, the Graduate Directors will inform these students about the Interdepartmental TA Program and provide them with the application information.
    
4. Interested students will complete application materials for each department to which they wish to apply and submit these materials to the Graduate Directors in their own departments.
    
5. By March 15, Graduate Directors who wish to export TAs will forward the applications from their students to the designated contact person in the importing department, with a memo endorsing the application of each student and expressing the department’s priorities for appointments, if any. Additional applications may be accepted later at the importing department’s discretion.
     
6. The importing departments will evaluate the applications and conduct interviews or other screenings where applicable, assembling a ranked list from which to offer appointments as positions are available.
    
7. The importing department will send each appointee a letter of offer outlining the position’s responsibilities, calendar, and compensation and will notify unsuccessful applicants or those still under consideration of their status.
    
8. The appointee will notify the importing department if s/he accepts or rejects the offered position and will notify his or her graduate advisor (in the exporting department) of the appointment.
    
9. The importing department will generate contracts for Interdepartmental TAs.

Student Instructions

1. If you are a graduate student interested in applying for an Interdepartmental TAship, you should contact the Graduate Director/Advisor in your home department.
    
2. Be prepared to discuss what qualifications you might have that could be used by an importing department (see above).