Graduate Student Assistantship Program FAQ

Questions

1. When can I apply for a graduate assistantship at the Institute on Disabilities?
2. When do graduate assistantship positions start?
3. How many graduate assistants are hired at the Institute on Disabilities?
4. How are graduate assistantships funded?
5. How are students selected for an interview for the graduate assistantship program?
6. What happens during and after the first interview with the assistantship coordinator?
7. How many interviews will be scheduled?
8. How many students are recommended for an interview with a work assignment supervisor for a specifically identified graduate assistantship position?
9. Can a student be recommended for more than one specific assistantship position?
10. When are interviews scheduled?
11. When are the graduate assistantships awarded?

Answers

1. Applications for graduate assistant positions are accepted throughout the year but particularly sought in the spring semester. The student must already be accepted to a full-time graduate program at Temple University.
2. Most graduate assistantship positions begin in September with the start of the fall semester. Occasionally, students are hired in January to begin with the spring semester.
3. The number of graduate assistants hired ranges from 12 – 15 per year. The number of new students hired depends upon the number of returning students and the number of new graduate assistantship positions.
4. Students receive a stipend that is paid from the specific grant-funded program of the Institute on Disabilities. Tuition remission is awarded as a scholarship from the Graduate School of Temple University.
5. All applications are reviewed by the assistantship coordinator upon receipt. Students are selected for a first interview with the assistantship coordinator based on a match between the needs of the work assignment and the students' skills, abilities, academic department and interests.
6. During the interview, the assistantship coordinator will explain the assistantship program in detail and will ask the student to discuss their work experience and interests. At the end of the interview, the assistantship coordinator will advise the student of any specific graduate assistantship positions that might be a good match to the student’s skills, experience, academic department and interests.
7. If after the first interview with the assistantship coordinator a possible match is identified to a specific graduate assistantship position, the student will be scheduled for an interview with the actual work assignment supervisor. The assistantship coordinator will attend all subsequent interviews.
8. Generally, two or three students are recommended for an interview with a work assignment supervisor.
9. Yes, a student may be recommended for more than one specific assistantship position.
10. Interviews are scheduled in the late spring and continue through the summer. Other interviews are scheduled throughout the year as new graduate assistantship positions become available.
11. Graduate assistantships are awarded in late spring and throughout the summer. Occasionally, positions are awarded within the first few weeks of the fall semester.

More Information

If you have questions, please email timothy.funk@temple.edu.