The UMSL English Department provides a limited number of teaching assistantships for MFA students. These assistantships are available for up to two years. In addition to receiving a stipend (approximately $10,000 per academic year), teaching assistants receive 100% remission of their tuition costs (though they do pay incidental student fees).
Students granted an assistantship will, in their first semester, work as consultants in the Writing Center. In the second semester and thereafter, they will either continue as consultants or teach one or two sections of first-year writing. Their second semester and subsequent duties will be decided in consultation with the Writing Center Coordinator and the Writing Program Administrator.
In their first semester TAs must enroll and successfully complete English 5890: Teaching College Writing.
TAs must enroll in at least six credit hours of graduate level classes each semester.
TAs must attend the English Department Pre-Semester Professional Development Workshop. (This workshop is held in the week before classes begin.)
For each semester they continue to teach, TAs must attend on-going professional development meetings.
