Prospective students who are seeking financial aid should write a letter outlining their needs. Not all students receive scholarships or teaching assistantships. Several scholarships are divided among first-year students. Those who receive scholarships will have the money credited through their financial aid packets.
The department grants teaching assistantships on the basis of artistic merit. Accomplishments in one's specialty, previous experience, teaching effectiveness, and other relevant skills will be considered. Students are not required to hold teaching assistantships in order to graduate, and not every student is granted one. Teaching assistantships serve the needs of the department and not student preferences. Unexpected circumstances may require modification of assignments.
Each teaching assistantship offers tuition remission, as well as a stipend of approximately $23,000 per academic year. Teaching assistants are eligible for health care and certain other benefits.
University regulations require that teaching assistants shall have no more than one grade of incomplete in his or her coursework while enrolled at Mason Gross and must be a full-time student in good standing by maintaining a semester GPA of 3.0 or better, in satisfactory artistic standing, and fulfill the responsibilities of the assigned teaching assistantship. An assistantship requires a minimum 15 hours per week of work, including teaching. If these conditions are not fulfilled, the appointment will be terminated.
A graduate student receiving a teaching assistantship registers for Teaching Assistantship 08:081:877 for 3 credits; however, these credits are not counted toward the 60 credits required for graduation.
