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Criteria for Appointment as Graduate Assistant
Section 1. Academic Criteria
Graduate assistants must be degree-seeking and enrolled full-time (at least 9 credit hours) or determined to be a full-time equivalent by the approval of a short hours form that was submitted by the student's department (e.g., director of graduate studies, graduate coordinator). Exceptions to these criteria can be made by the Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the college in which the employment is based with the assistance of the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs in the Graduate College. The appointee must remain in good academic standing throughout their employment as a graduate assistant.
- An explanation of short hours is provided on the Short Hours Request Form, which is accessible to university employees through Workflow at the following link: Short Hours Form Workflow
- Short hours forms request information about number of hours registered and whether or not the student is engaged in time-intensive activities not reflected in their registration (research in fulfillment of a degree requirement, writing a thesis or dissertation, preparing a prospectus, gaining facility in a foreign language/other tools, preparing for a comprehensive/final examination, internships, research/teaching assistantships).
Section 2. Work Proximity Requirement
- All graduate assistants covered under these standards are required to be on-campus during the academic year, unless specifically approved in writing by the associate dean for graduate education in the applicable college. This includes all teaching and research assistants regardless of teaching modality.
Section 3. Required Trainings
- The University of Iowa typically requires graduate assistants to complete mandatory trainings for position eligibility. Examples include sexual harassment prevention, Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), human subjects research, animal use, and/or environmental health and safety related-trainings.