Graduate Assistantship Rules & Regulations
Rules and Regulations
In order to qualify for a graduate assistantship, a student must have earned a baccalaureate degree and must be fully admitted to a post-baccalaureate degree program. No graduate assistantship will be awarded to a student who has not completed all requirements to the degree which they are a candidate. Students must be in good standing (academic and department) to continue their appointment.
Students who are fully admitted into a graduate degree program and who are awarded an assistantship are required to enroll in a minimum of 9 credit hours of graduate work per fall/spring semester and normally carry no more than 12 credit hours. A graduate assistant in the the final semester of enrollment or a research assistant who has been awarded a summer assistantship may take a reduced load with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. Graduate assistants who wish to register for more than 12 hours of academic work must also obtain the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.
Departments that employ graduate teaching assistants as instructors will develop an evaluation process and supervision procedures for monitoring and assessing the quality of classroom effort by the teaching assistants.
All graduate assistant appointments should be routed through the Graduate School for approval. In the interest of academic scholarship, graduate assistants should not be expected to work more than 20 hours per week.
Minimum Stipends
The minimum stipend is $2,779 per semester of the 2009-2010 academic year.
Reduced Tuition
A student who is fully admitted into a graduate degree program and who has a graduate assistant appointment at the minimum stipend level as established by the Board of Regents qualifies for reduced tuition benefits (this reduction does not include fees). Qualified graduate assistants shall be assessed one-third (1/3) of the resident graduate rate for all state-supported courses (graduate and undergraduate). An appointment during the academic year qualifies the student for reduced tuition during the following summer, provided the student is enrolled in at least 3 credit hours over the summer session. The Dean of the Graduate School must approve all graduate assistantship appointments.
Personnel Rules
Graduate assistants are not required to work on official state employee holidays or during regular academic breaks.
Graduate assistantship openings will be posted in department offices to notify students of their number, academic discipline, and general duties and responsibilities. The University of South Dakota is an equal employment opportunity employer.
Accommodation to students with disabilities will be made subject to the university's disability services policy.
Graduate assistants are considered staff members, but are not employed in a permanent classification. Any grievance arising from this employment relationship shall be brought under non-faculty exempt procedures. Graduate assistants, regardless of percent of time, are not eligible for benefits, including sick and annual leave, health and life insurance, and retirement.
For more information about Graduate Assistantships, contact the Graduate School at grad@usd.edu or 1-800-233-7937.