University of New Mexico
Department of Communication & Journalism
UNM Lobo
Assistantships, Cost of Living, Financial Aid

A PDF version of the Teaching or Research Assistantship application form is available on the web for download, or you can pick up a copy at the C&J main office. For the PDF version, you will need Acrobat Reader, and it is available free at the Adobe site.

Teaching Assistantships
The Department of Communication and Journalism has, at any one time, approximately 17 teaching assistantships for Ph.D. students and approximately 25 teaching assistantships for M.A. students. All assistantships are competitively chosen. If you wish to apply for an assistantship, you need to complete the Application for Teaching or Research Assistantship (see application materials). Funding for the teaching assistantship is for the duration of your graduate program (three years for Ph.D. students and two years for M.A. students) pending three conditions: (a) teaching performance, (b) classroom performance (in your own graduate classes), and (c) budget cuts. If budget cuts occur, returning students are given priority over new students. It is unlikely that you would lose a teaching assistantship.

Teaching assistants typically teach two courses per semester (four total for the year). This load is considered a 0.5 FTE (Full-time equivalent). We also have some students who teach only one class per semester, a 0.25 (Half-time equivalent) load. The financial package for teaching assistants who teach four courses per year during the academic year 2010-2011 consists of the following:

Ph.D.
1) Stipend of $14,791/year (not including summer)
2) Tuition waiver for up to 24 credits/year
3) Health insurance

M.A.
1) Stipend of $13,445/year (not including summer)
2) Out-of-state tuition is waived. Instead, you pay the current in-state rate.
3) Health insurance

The stipend usually increases each year, but the actual amount of the increase is subject to state legislative decisions, and we do not find out specific figures until April or May of each year. Finally, there are some opportunities for summer teaching, but they are not guaranteed. Faculty have first priority for summer teaching, but we may have a few TA positions.

Resources for Teaching Assistants

We work very hard to ensure that your teaching experience is rewarding. We want to help you achieve your goal of being an excellent teacher. Therefore, we offer the following resources:

1) Faculty Facilitation/Coordination. A faculty member in the department provides coordination and facilitation for all courses taught by TAs. Each TA is responsible for teaching his/her own classes (i.e., for most classes TAs are not assistants, but the primary teacher of the course), but the faculty coordinator will provide support to help you be successful in your teaching. The support includes meeting before the semester to assist with course and syllabus preparation and regular meetings during the semester to discuss ongoing issues in the course (e.g., class activities, grading, lectures, problems, etc.). The meetings provide the opportunity to share what is working, and what is not, in your own classes.

2) TARC/ITARC. TARC (Teaching Assistant Resource Center) and ITARC (International Teaching Assistant Resource Center) are programs that operate through the Center for Advancement of Scholarship in Teaching and Learning and housed in the Department of Communication and Journalism. TARC and ITARC are each a one-credit course that provides instruction about the finer points of teaching. Each course meets once a week for two hours for six weeks. The course is available to all students at the university and is required for new TAs in the C&J department. There are opportunities for graduate students in C&J to assist with TARC and ITARC (especially those students interested in instructional
communication).

Research and Other Assistantships
The Department of Communication also has other assistantships available to graduate students. The funding for these projects is variable, but generally is consistent with the funding for teaching assistantships. Some research assistantships provide funding for 12 months, which increases the overall stipend as teaching assistants are paid on a nine-month schedule. Variable positions in other programs across campus will offer assistantships as well. Check with the program advisement coordinator for information.

Cost of Living
We know that one concern that you might have is the cost of living in Albuquerque. The following information may be useful for you in planning the cost of attending the University of New Mexico. These costs are approximate and represent a range of possible expenses.

GRADUATE EXPENSES FOR THE 2010-2011 ACADEMIC YEAR
Independent on Campus    
Description Academic Year One Semester
Tuition and fees  $4,531 $2,265
Room and Board  $7,948 $3,974
Books and Supplies  $1,062    $531
Transportation  $1,660    $830
Miscellaneous  $3,044 $1,522
Total $18,245 $9,122
     
Independent Off Campus
Increase room and board by $444 per academic year, or $222 per semester

Scholarships and Financial Aid
There are several types of grants and scholarships available from the university. The Office of Graduate Studies offers the following awards (for national students only):

1) OGS 3% scholarship. The department nominates up to five students from the department to receive a scholarship that covers tuition and fees for the academic year. These awards primarily are awarded to M.A. students who do not have the opportunity for a tuition waiver. This scholarship is available only to New Mexico residents. Other criteria are academic merit and financial need.

2) Graduate Dean's Dissertation Year Fellowship. Provides one year of financial assistance to students who will complete their dissertation by the next academic year. An award of $8,000 is provided.

3) New Mexico Higher Education Department Graduate Scholarship Program. The graduate scholarship program is intended to increase enrollment of students from traditionally underrepresented groups in graduate education. An annual award of $7,200 is provided.


4) Tom L. Popejoy Dissertation Prize. A $1,000 award and assistance toward publication is provided for an outstanding dissertation (completed). It rotates across departments and C&J students are eligible every three years (next time will be 2013).

There are several other opportunities for scholarships and fellowships listed on the Office of Graduate Studies Funding Web page.The Office of Graduate Studies website is at www.unm.edu/grad

Three other sources of information at UNM:
     Financial Aid Office: finaid.unm.edu
     Scholarship Office: scholarship.unm.edu

     Office of Interntional Programs: www.unm.edu/oips

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