Employment

General Employment at the University

Employment at Rutgers-Camden can take many forms. Most graduate students find that they supplement the research and study of their department in some capacity as a means of employment. Other opportunities and their conditions are outlined below.

Assistantships Awarded by the University.  Graduate School-Camden awards a number of Teaching Assistants (TA) and Graduate Assistants (GA) each year, and these positions are protected under AAUP contract language. As a result of being union positions, these TA and GA positions have varying, increasing salaries whose conditions may change according to union negotiations. As of 2024, the union salary for these positions neared $35,000 for 15 hours of work a week, including health benefits, tuition remission, and more. These are competitive offers designed to attract students to high-level research and work in their programs, which are currently limited to the PhD programs and the Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing.

TA and GA opportunities per program may vary per year. At times, GA opportunities are offered through the central Graduate School administration. Both TA and GA opportunities are subject to the conditions of all financial aid and support at the Graduate School-Camden, meaning that graduate students must maintain good academic standing, professional behavior, and more. Unique guidelines apply to TAs and GAs as both students and employees of Rutgers University; these guidelines are covered in vast scope during Orientation and regularly covered as part of Human Resources onboarding.

Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP).  Federal work-study employment may be offered as a self-help portion of the financial aid award. It is only available to domestic students who are eligible. Application for this program is made by filing the FAFSA. On-campus jobs are available in many areas. Selection for a particular job is based on skills, job availability, university needs, and student preference. The assigned employment opportunity is based on an expectation that the student will work up to 20 hours weekly throughout the fall and spring academic semesters; in the case of summer assignments, the expectation is that the student will work between 15 and 35 hours per week. Once a job is assigned, it is anticipated that the student will continue in that position throughout the entire academic year. Off-campus employment is also available. No job assignments are made until all paperwork required to accept the aid is completed.

On-campus and Off-campus Employment Opportunities.  HandShake, an online database managed by the Camden Career Center for Rutgers-Camden students, provides the opportunity for students to: