Teaching Assistantships
Every year, the Department of Communication awards a limited number of graduate assistantships. When applying for an assistantship, you must concurrently apply to the Graduate School for graduate admission. These assistantships carry stipends for a nine-month appointment, waivers of tuition (both resident and out-of-state), and some assistance with health insurance. Appointments generally require a working assignment of 20 hours per week; the workload equals a half-time appointment. Most teaching assistants teach two sections of the Fundamentals of Communication course, keep office hours, and attend a weekly teachers training session. A limited number of appointments may be offered to support faculty teaching large sections (e.g., COMM 1003—Basic Course in the Fine Arts: Film Lecture) or to assist in teaching, research, or service.
The Department of Communication expects graduate assistants to meet high standards for satisfactory job and academic progress. The job performance of all graduate teaching assistants, including those assisting in large lecture classes, will be evaluated by their supervisor at least annually. Graduate teaching assistants must complete a minimum of six graduate credit hours (but no more than 12) during each semester and 15 hours by the end of the second semester on appointment. They must maintain a 3.25 GPA and receive a positive recommendation from the Graduate Committee to continue their appointment. Those who receive a summer appointment must enroll for at least three hours. Graduate teaching assistants may teach during one summer session and attend class in another. The assistantship can be extended over four semesters (not including Summer School).
We begin evaluating assistantship applications for Fall semester appointments on March 1st and for Spring semester appointments on October 1st. To ensure full consideration, applicants should apply by these dates, but late applications are also considered.
Those interested in applying for the MA program should start by completing an application for admission through the University of Arkansas Graduate School. Required application materials include: official transcripts of all college and university-level coursework, and three letters of recommendation. GRE scores may be considered, but are considered optional. Materials required from the department for graduate teaching assistantships also include: a completed assistantship application form, statement of purpose explaining goals for graduate study (typically 2 double-spaced pages), resume or academic CV, and an essay-length writing sample. All materials should be uploaded through the Graduate School's application portal.
Effective Fall 2014, non-native speakers of English, regardless of citizenship, even if eligible for a TOEFL waiver, must demonstrate competency in both spoken and written English to be eligible for a graduate assistantship that requires direct contact with students in a teaching or tutorial role, in a traditional classroom setting or via distance education. Competency in spoken English may be demonstrated by: Submitting a score of 7 on the IELTS (speaking) subtest, 26 on the Internet-based TOEFL (speaking) subtest, 71 on the PTE-A (speaking) subtest, or “pass” on the Spoken Language Proficiency Test (SLPT). Competency in written English may be demonstrated by: Submitting a score of 6.0 on the IELTS (writing) subtest, 26 on the Internet-based TOEFL (writing) subtest, 4.0 on the GRE, 4.5 on the GMAT (analytical writing) subtest, 71 on the PTE-A (writing) sub-test, or 75 on the English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT)
If you were admitted conditionally, you generally are ineligible for a teaching assistantship until you have completed 12 hours of graduate credit with at least of a 3.25 GPA. For more information contact:
Dr. Ryan Neville-Shepard
Graduate Director
519 Kimpel Hall
479.575.5962
rnevshep@uark.edu
Dr. Matthew Spialek
Chair
417 Kimpel Hall
479.575.3769
rmspialek@uark.edu