General Summary

Graduate assistants will serve as instructors of record for COMM 124: Foundations of Speech Communication. This course is the university’s introduction to public speaking course.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Graduate assistants will attend required orientations in the days prior to the start of the semester.
• Graduate Assistants will be responsible for designing a course and following school and university protocols for creating a syllabus.
• Graduate Assistants will be responsible for teaching during assigned sessions,
• Graduate Assistants will hold office hours for student consultations
• Graduate Assistants will be required to attend weekly supervision with the Introductory Course Director. Graduate assistants will also be responsible for evaluating the performance of students throughout the semester.
• Graduate students will also assist with the creation of teaching activities and participate in the assessment of student learning in the General Education Program.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or recognized international institution of higher education.

Must work at least 10 hours a week

Must be fully or conditionally admitted to a graduate program of study in the School of Communication, Media, or Theatre Arts. (Applicants with a grade point average below 3.0 or students with admission for continuing education, non-degree, and teacher certification are also not eligible for a graduate assistantship.

Academic background in Communication studies that includes courses in public speaking, debate, and/or persuasion

Experience in public speaking, such as presenting research, forensics competitions, or prior teaching engagements.

Additional Information:

• Period of Employment is August 2026 - April 2027
• Second-year appointment is contingent on performance, academic success, and resources.

Tuition support: A half-time GA entitles a student to 5 graduate credit hours of tuition waiver in the Fall semester and 4 graduate credit hours in the Winter semester, with a limit of 9 credit hours in total during the Fall/Winter semesters. No tuition waiver is available during the Spring/Summer semester. A full-time GA entitles a student to 18 credit hours of tuition waiver divided equally over Fall and Winter terms.  

To be eligible for the full or part-time award, students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours in the Fall and 6 credit hours in the Winter. Students are responsible for additional fees not covered by tuition (i.e., general fee, student center fee, and technology fee), new student record initiation fee, registration fee, late registration fee, drop fees, or late fees applied when bills are unpaid. Courses taken below the 500 level will not be eligible for reimbursement under the GA/DF tuition waiver benefit unless the courses are included in the program of study for a 150-credit hour, dual degree, bachelor’s/master’s program.

Priority registration is provided by online registration by the date specified by the Office of Records and Registration as noted in the Class Schedule Book or Website (same date as undergraduate Honors students)