Assistantships
Overview
GTAs (Graduate Teaching Assistants) are graduate students who have instructional assignments in classrooms or laboratories. In general, GTAs take responsibility: for all lecture and classroom activities connected with a single section of a multi-section course that is under the general supervision of a faculty member; or the assignment to lead discussion sections of courses that are taught by a member of the regular faculty; or lead the laboratory sections under the general supervision of a regular faculty member who has responsibility for the course. A lecture or two may be given if the major intent is to provide teaching experience for the student (in most cases, the instructor will be in attendance in order to provide feedback). GTAs should normally be enrolled in a full-time degree program.
GRAs (Graduate Research Assistants) are graduate students who supported by outide sources of funds and who carry out scholarly research under the supervision of a faculty project director. GRAs are most often but not always employed in the scientific disciplines. Their duties are specified by the project director, but GRAs are usally funded for 10 or 20 hours of work per week. Frequently, the work done in fulfillment of the assistantship may be used wholly or in part for the thesis or dissertation. GRAs are eligible for certain additional benefits such as tuition remission as outlined below.
Typical Duties
TA’s should do a subset of the following tasks:
- Deliver classroom instruction for 1-2 sections of a multisection course (one section is a half time load = 3 contact hours/week, two sections a full time load = 6 contact hours/week).
- Conduct independently-run discussion sections. Three 1 hr discussion sections/week = a half time assignment = 3 contact hours/week. Four one-hour discussion sections/week = a 2/3 time assignment = 4 contact hours/week.
- Conduct independently-run lab sections. One 3-4 hour lab section = a half time assignment. Two 3-4 hour lab sections = a full time assignment.
- Hold regular office hours
- Grade papers for their sections
- Attend regular meetings for section or lab planning.
- Head Teaching Assistants: coordinate lab enrollments and weekly outlines: teach one lab section.
Employment and Wages
Expected Weekly Work Hours : Full Time = 20, Half Time = 10
The Provost's 
Wage Authorization Policy (.pdf) is the official source of information on GTA and GRA wages.
Since monetary compensation for GTAs is "payment for services", taxes are withheld by the University.
Each department has a GTA full time rate (found on their yearly Graduate Funding Memo). The average TA wage in departments should be this rate. Departments may not increase numbers of sections by reducing their GTA stipends. Nor may they increase the rate students are paid by allocating fewer TAships. Fellowship funds (since they are not pay-for service monies) may not be used as payment for GTA or other service assignments. They can be as supplements to GTA appointments at normal rates.
Tuition Adjustment
Any student earning $5000 or more as a TA or GRA. is eligible for a tuition adjustment. However, earning $5000 does not guarantee an adjustment. Adjustments are awarded at the discretion of the department, based on funding availability. Students who earn wages as an instructor (on a faculty line and not a GTA) do not qualify for an adjustment.
Tuition Remission
Any student employed at 50% effort or more as a TA or GRA is automatically entitled to tuition remission. TA/GRAs are only eligible for remission in the semester they work. The Provost Office pays remission for TAs (regardless of funding source). Remission for GRAs must be charged to Departmental grant accounts. Students who earn wages as an instructor (on a faculty line and not a GTA/GRA) do not qualify for tuition remission.
Getting Teaching Help
The U.Va. Teaching Resource Center offers a number of services and resource materials designed to enhance the teaching abilities of faculty and teaching assistants at the University of Virginia.
Several tools and services are also available to help with teaching technology:
- Instructional Toolkit
- Arts and Sciences Center for Instructional Technologies
- Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
- Robertson Digital Media Center
- Teaching+Technology Initiative
