Graduate Assistantships

The Department of Communication has three types of graduate assistantships available: graduate laboratory assistantships (GLAs) graduate research assistantships (GRAs) and graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs). GLAs support the department’s teaching mission by assisting in grading, advisement, and equipment handling for production courses. GRAs work with faculty members to pursue research projects, particularly in the case of funded grants. GTAs have the independent responsibility for overseeing and teaching four undergraduate courses per year.

The Department is committed to the growth of its graduate students in both the instructional and professional development arenas. As a result, students generally hold a GRA and either a GLA or GTA position in their assistantship package for a given year.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a graduate assistantship, students must be enrolled in a minimum of fifteen hours in the fall and spring semesters and nine hours in the summer semester. Typically, these hours include a combination of (1) traditional course hours offered at graduate semester hours per class and (2) research, thesis, or dissertation hours which are offered for variable credit hours depending on the student’s programmatic needs.

Deadline

To be guaranteed consideration for assistantships, Ph.D. students must apply by February 1, for that academic year. All other applicants (all M.A. applicants and any Ph.D. applicants who miss the February 1 deadline for guaranteed consideration) must apply by April 15, for that academic year.

Application

To apply for a graduate assistantship, you can view and print the Assistantship application in pdf format here. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view this file (you may download the free program here).

Please note that the application should be turned in with your updated resume.

You may also pick up an application in the front office of the Department of Communication (6th Floor of One Park Place South). Applications should be submitted to:

Tawanna Tookes, Administrative Specialist
Department of Communication
One Park Place, Room 662b, Sixth Floor
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA 30303-3083
Fax: (404) 651-1409

Presidential Assistantships

The Department of Communication offers undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in the Presidential Assistantship program. This program rewards highly competitive students who meet specific requirements and who are interested in working with faculty to learn more in their field of interest.