Title: Teaching Graduate Assistant (Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts)

Employee Classification: GA

Pay Grade: GS 00

Division: Academic and Student Affairs

Department: School of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts

Campus Location: Main Campus

General Summary

Graduate assistants will serve as instructors of record for COMM 124: Foundations of Speech Communication. This course is the university?s introduction to public speaking course.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Graduate assistants will attend required orientations in the days prior to the start of the semester.
• Graduate Assistants will be responsible for designing a course and following school and university protocols for creating a syllabus.
• Graduate Assistants will be responsible for teaching during assigned sessions,
• Graduate Assistants will hold office hours for student consultations
• Graduate Assistants will be required to attend weekly supervision with the Introductory Course Director. Graduate assistants will also be responsible for evaluating the performance of students throughout the semester.
• Graduate students will also assist with the creation of teaching activities and participate in the assessment of student learning in the General Education Program.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Bachelor?s degree from an accredited college or university or recognized international institution of higher education.

Must work at least 10 hours a week

Must be fully or conditionally admitted to a graduate program of study in the School of Communication, Media, or Theatre Arts. (Applicants with a grade point average below 3.0 or students with admission for continuing education, non-degree, and teacher certification are also not eligible for a graduate assistantship.

Academic background in Communication studies that includes courses in public speaking, debate, and/or persuasion

Experience in public speaking, such as presenting research, forensics competitions, or prior teaching engagements.

Additional Information:

Stipend: 50% assistantship = $2150 per semester. 100% assistantship = $4300 per semester. 

• Period of Employment is August 2025 - April 2026
• Second-year appointment is contingent on performance, academic success, and resources.

Tuition support: A half-time GA entitles a student to 5 graduate credit hours of tuition waiver in the Fall semester and 4 graduate credit hours in the Winter semester, with a limit of 9 credit hours in total during the Fall/Winter semesters. No tuition waiver is available during the Spring/Summer semester. A full-time GA entitles a student to 18 credit hours of tuition waiver divided equally over Fall and Winter terms. 

To be eligible for the full or part-time award, students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours in the Fall and 6 credit hours in the Winter. Students are responsible for additional fees not covered by tuition (i.e., general fee, student center fee, and technology fee), new student record initiation fee, registration fee, late registration fee, drop fees, or late fees applied when bills are unpaid. Courses taken below the 500 level will not be eligible for reimbursement under the GA/DF tuition waiver benefit unless the courses are included in the program of study for a 150-credit hour, dual degree, bachelor?s/master?s program.

Priority registration is provided by online registration by the date specified by the Office of Records and Registration as noted in the Class Schedule Book or Website (same date as undergraduate Honors students)

Appointment Percentage:

50% or 100%

About Eastern Michigan University

Since its inception, Eastern Michigan, first as a Normal School, then as a College and finally as a University, has grown and developed to respond to the ever-changing needs of society. Over the years, EMU has educated thousands of sons and daughters of Michigan, the nation, and the world. The University currently serves 23,000 students who are pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 200 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. Eastern Michigan's exceptional faculty, students and alumni include CEOs from major businesses; a National Student Teacher of the Year, National Teacher of the Year, numerous Fulbright Scholars and Milken Family Foundation National Educators award winners; and several Michigan Teachers of the Year.

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