The department decides who receives these forms of financial support, and at what level the graduate student will be supported. back to table of contents Graduate Student Assistantships Graduate student assistantships enable students to earn compensation for their research or teaching while continuing their academic and professional development.
Additional information regarding the special circumstances of international students follows.
Departments that plan to appoint students who have not been approved for teaching must ask those students to contact the EFS office to arrange an appointment to be tested. The course focuses on the accurate, fluent, and appropriate use of English for teaching, as well as effective teaching and communication techniques. Therefore, six months prior to the appointment, department administrators should discuss the screening, testing and approval process with the nonnative English speakers whom they expect to be appointed to teaching assistantships so that students can arrange their schedule accordingly. Administrators and faculty members are encouraged to call the EFS staff to discuss the English needs of individual students and the particular responsibilities of teaching assistants in their department. To ensure that current and correct information is always provided, students should be directed to the Bechtel International Center to verify the information below whenever they have questions regarding their visas, work, or travel.