Communication Disorders Appointment Procedures

Graduate Assistantship Appointment Procedures

The following policies and procedures summarize the steps that will be followed in the Department of Communication Disorders for the appointment of graduate students to either research assistant (RA) or teaching assistant (TA) appointments.

Notice of Availability

Each year following budget approval the Department Chair will determine the number and types of internally-funded RA and TA positions that will be available. Once this determination has been made the Chair will share this information with the Graduate Program Director (GPD) who will follow the notification procedures outlined below. Faculty or staff from within the department who secure either internal or external funding for RA or TA positions shall inform the GPD of the availability of, and any specific requirements for, funded support. The GPD shall maintain a list of funding opportunities and will inform qualified students of the available RA or TA positions, as well as any specific application procedures that are applicable (e.g., filing of an application, interview with principal investigator, application deadline).

Survey of Student Funding Interests

New applicants (i.e., incoming students) will indicate their interest in receiving funding on their graduate school application. The names of all students indicating an interest in funding will be maintained by the GPD who assumes the responsibility of notifying incoming students of any funding opportunities for which they are qualified and for which they may need to submit additional application materials and/or make arrangements for an interview). Current students will be surveyed in February of each year to determine their interest in funding for the following year. Students will be asked to indicate all funding opportunities that they would be interested in, and additionally to rank order these interests.

Decisions on Funding

Decisions on funding are made by Principal Investigator in consultation with the GPD in the case of externally funded opportunities and by the Department Chair and the GPD in the case of internally funded positions. In all cases efforts will be made to match student funding opportunities with student interests and qualifications. Efforts will be made to complete all funding decisions by April 15th for incoming students and by May 15th for returning students. However, since the availability of funding is often not known until after these deadlines, decisions regarding funding opportunities must be postponed in some cases.