If you are pursuing graduate work in the Department of Communication Studies, you may qualify for assistance with your expenses in the form of a Teaching Assistantship. Our competitively selected Teaching Assistantships include a monthly stipend in exchange for teaching and in-state tuition rates. We also offer partial tuition waivers to TAs on a limited and competitive basis.
The department offers a number of teaching assistantships that provide graduate students with valuable experience as a classroom teacher or a debate assistant. First year TAs most frequently teach "Introduction to Communication" (COMM 1010), in addition to another recitation section of a large lecture course taught by departmental faculty. Departmental courses for which our graduate students serve as TAs include Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, Performance of Literature, Rhetoric and Argument, Communication Perspectives, Storytelling, Small Group Communication, Organizational Communication, and Communication Research and Praxis. The Communication Studies department strives to provide a range of teaching experiences for our graduate students over the course of a two-year program of study.
Would I be a TA for Both Years?
Students working toward a master's degree carry their own 9-credit class load during the full semesters, while teaching three 2-hour recitation sections of Communication Studies courses. Students receiving teaching assistantships upon admission to the program are awarded the assistantship for one academic year, which will automatically be renewed for a second year as long as the student remains in good standing with the Department and University. Summer assistantships are optional, but limited and are available based on University funding and student enrollments.
Yes! All of our TAs earn a monthly stipend in exchange for their commitment of 20 hours per week of teaching assistance. Currently, our TAs are paid $1,232 per month ($10,088 per 9 months) during their first year. TAs entering their third semester in this position receive a bump in pay to $1,449 per month ($13,041 per 9 months).
In addition to this stipend, all Teaching Assistants are eligible for the UNT Tuition Benefit Program (TBP). Under the TBP, our TAs typically receive 3 hours of tuition reimbursement each semester (while enrolling in 9 hours total each semester).
Our Teaching Assistants are exceptionally involved in the day-to-day operations of our department. In addition to experiencing the joys and challenges of teaching your own undergraduates, our graduate students frequently mention their time spent bonding in the TA Space as formative to their identities and growth as scholars in a familial community. And, you get a desk in the TA Space and your very own mailbox! Also, our alumni who were Teaching Assistants during their time at UNT have an excellent track record in placement in PhD programs, positions in corporate training and management, and in teaching positions throughout the DFW Metroplex (both in community colleges and secondary education).
To apply for a Teaching Assistantship, please include a statement in your Application Letter that speaks to your relevant work or academic experience and how serving as a TA would fit into your professional plans and/or career goals.