Graduate Student Employment Opportunities in CSEE

GA/GTA POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

Updated June 2017

The department of CSEE has some funds for a limited number of graduate assistantships (GA) available to fully-enrolled graduate
and undergraduate students with excellent academic performance and solid communications skills. Typically, awards are for quarter-time, three-
eighths, or half-time support, and ma y in c lu d e tuition fee waivers. Priority will be given to students with excellent communication
skills and who can make a positive contribution to the learning experiences of our undergraduate students. International students who
wish to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship and cannot be considered for a teaching assistantship during their first semester of
enrolment. Financial aid decisions ar e made sepa ra te ly from the admission d e c i s i o n s . Assistantships are not grants and students
who are awarded an assistantship are expected to contribute to either research, instruction, or both.

There are two separate and distinct employment titles used by CSEE to employ our students: Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Graduate
Assistant (GA). Please note that GTA and GA are very different, even though many students, faculty and staff use the title ‘GTA’ to refer
to either one: A ”Graduate Teaching Assistant” (or GTA) refers to the person with primary responsibility for delivering educational material,
while a ”Graduate Assistant” (or GA) is the secondary contact person for the students taking the course. The GA assists an instructor who
is the primary contact and has primary responsibility for the course, and the instructor closely supervises the GA and gives specific
assignments. All appointments are between 10 hours per week (25% FTE) and 20 hours per week (50% FTE). GA appointments are typical ly
for quarter-time only.

Graduate Assistantship (GA) (Graders)

Hiring decisions are made by the chair to provide additional assistance to faculty members with high enrollment in their classes. They base
their decision on the level, standing, and merit of the applicants and on the instructional load for faculty members who make a range of
solid contributions to the mission of the department. All applicants are expected to have e x c e lle n t communication skills and doc t or a l
students are pre f e r r e d over MS students. S tudents with a GA appointment provide instructional assistance to a faculty member who has the
primary responsibility for delivery of instruction in the cla s s r oo m . The faculty member is expected to deliver instruction and testing,
grade quizzes and exams, and assign course grades. GA’s do not have classroom responsibilities themselves and work under close
supervision of a faculty member and perform instruction related tasks. GA’s might be asked to grade homework assignments and class
projects, hold office hours to meet with students on a one-on-one basis, organize and hold review sessions, recitation sessions and/or Q&A
sessions, help prepare hand-outs, help tally and copy the graded works (such as homework, quizzes, exams, projects, and such) for ABET
purposes, explain software packages, monitoring a laboratory, running experiments, gathering resource materials, and so on. The student
with a GA appointment cannot substitute for the instructor in the classroom for course delivery, and is not responsible for course grades.
Any remaining time will be spent working to support our research mission by doing library work, running experiments, critiquing papers,
analyzing data, programming, writing research proposals, or summarizing research results.

The GA is expected to communicate with class room students in an instructional setting (and grading is considered communicating with students),
and the GA must be qualified to do so.

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) (Lecture or Lab Instructor)

Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) assume responsibility for a lecture or lab based course.

The GTA is the primary contact with students and is expected to communicate extensively with class room students in an instructional setting
and the GTA must be qualified to do so. International students, please see the section TOEF L TEST INFO.

Information for Both GA’s and GTA’s

Funding source: Departmental instructional accounts,

Funding level: Pay at 10 hours is given in the table below.

Application Process, Application Forms are included in this package. There are separate application forms for doctoral students, masters students,
and undergraduate students. Read the application package carefully, as it spells out deadlines and all Qualifications and Eligibility requirements
for the positions. Once you have completed all your application materials, give them to Nan Lorenz in the CSEE office. Scanned and emailed
applications are accepted as well, lorenzn@umkc.edu

Selection Process for assignments will go to available PhD students, MS students, or undergraduate students. Historically, MS students with a GPA
of 3.85 or higher have an excellent chance of being selected. Students with a GPA below 3.60 have only a very slim chance of being
awarded, and students with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.85 may or may not be selected depending on the specific qualifications they have
and the skill set that is needed.

Limitation: By state mandate, a position cannot be offered to students in the first semester to students ‘who did not complete both their
primary and secondary education in a nation or territory in which English is the primary language’.

Philosophy: Doctoral students should be supported (or not supported) based on their commitment and progress toward the
completion of their research and dissertation, and towards CSEE/UMKC. They should also be supported (or not supported) based on
their qualifications in terms of both technical skills as well as communication skills. Finally, they should be supported (or not supported)
based on past performance and as student members of our of CSEE family. So we will look at the courses they have taken at UMKC,
the grades they have earned in lecture based courses, when they have taken (and passed) the qualifying and comprehensive exams,
attend departmental seminars and other activities at the CSEE level, the SCE level, or at their discipline level, submit/present papers, and so on.
Other things that enter the picture is the amount of support already given to the student from UMKC instructional sources (CSEE, Dean,
Campus) either this semester, or semesters in the past. A student who does not make progress cannot expect indefinite support from
CSEE/SCE/UMKC, even students who make progress cannot expect indefinite support from CSEE/SCE/campus. Of course, they can
and should expect support from the grants of their research advisors, and it is important that advisors seek funding support for
themselves and their students. Similar considerations apply to Master level students.

QUALIFICATIONS and ELIGIBILITY FOR GTA POSITIONS

1. Good academic and disciplinary standing,

2. The student is eligible for employment according to the laws and/or policies of the USA, INS, and UMKC and is present and
available to perform the assigned duties the entire appointment period.
3. Students cannot be offered a GTA during their first semester of enrollment, if English is not the student’s primary
language,
4. Good TOEFL, if English is not the student’s primary language,
5. Participate in a cultural orientation, for students who have not previously lived in the US if
English is not the students primary language,
6. Participate in a Teaching Effectiveness training and present a simulated lecture that is video recorded.
7. The student is present and available to perform the assigned duties from first day of class through grade submission following
finals exam, except when there are no classes scheduled.
8. Limit to one position per semester if funded from instructional accounts.

QUALIFICATIONS and ELIGIBILITY FOR GA POSITIONS

1. Good academic and disciplinary standing,

2. The student is eligible for employment according to the laws and/or policies of the USA, INS, and UMKC and is present and
available to perform the assigned duties the entire appointment period.
3. The student is present and available to perform the assigned duties from first day of class through grade submission following
finals exam, except when there are no classes scheduled.
4. Limit to one position per semester if funded from instructional accounts.
5. GA’s do not need a TOEFL Speaking score, do not need to participate in the Cultural Orientation sponsored by the School of
Graduate Studies, do not need to pass a simulated lecture/oral presentation, do not need a petition, and do not need Certification from
the School of Graduate Studies.

EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL GTA and GA - ASSISTANTSHIP

By accepting any offer that may be offered, you are expected to:

1. Enroll in courses or research hours for at least six hours of credit.

2. Remain in good academic and disciplinary standing and i nternational students must enroll as full-time students.
3. Make satisfactory progress in their own research if applicable.
4. Be present and available to perform your duties from start to the end of semester.
5. Adhere to the policies and the procedures of this University, especially those that pertain to student conduct (i.e. reporting suspected
dishonesty) and confidentiality of records (including grades, FERPA. You will be asked to take the FERPA test and sign a
confidentiality agreement.) You can find them in the UMKC catalog and in UMKC’s handbook for teaching assistants, on the School of
Graduate Studies web site: http://sgs.umkc.edu. You could also use a web-search on ”handbook for teaching assistants” to find additional guidance.
Please ask the supervising faculty or the Chair for any clarifications on these policies.
6. Use assigned research, instructional and office space and equipment (including labs) responsibly and only for activities that support
the educational and research mission of SCE. Any other use must be approved in advance with the Department Chair.
7. Attend orientation sessions as directed. Attend and participate in the activities of the Department and School that the Dean, Faculty
and the Staff organize for your benefit, such as seminars, presentations, open houses, etcetera.

FUTURE EMPLOYMENT
Future employment with our department is not guaranteed and depends on
a) The needs of the department,
b) Your performance on the currently assigned tasks using the highest standards,
c) Your overall performance as a student, semester and cumulative GPA, your participation at organized events, and
d) Meeting the qualification and eligibility requirements.
e) Master’s students are typically supported for no more than three semesters. Doctoral students must show solid progress for continued
support beyond three years.

TYPICAL COMPENSATION INFORMATION

For those paid monthly, stipend payment is monthly by direct deposit into your bank account in four (fall semesters) or 5 (spring
semesters) equal payments at the end of each month. Residential Fee Remissions are paid by CSEE on your behalf and are credited to
your student account at UMKC. If applicable, non-residential fee remission for up to 9 credit hours are paid by SGS on your
behalf and are credited to your student account as well. The compensation rates below are adhered to for GA appointments and are the
minimal amounts for GRA appointments. For Masters and Undergraduate students, stipend payments are e v e r y t w o weeks and directly
deposited in your bank account.
The information in the following table is tentative and subject to revision at any time:
Student Level Appointment Level Stipend Residential
Fee Waiver
PhD Post-Comprehensive 20 hours (50% FTE) $6570.00 6 credit hours
PhD Pre-Comprehensive 20 hours (50% FTE) $5962.00 6 credit hours
MS (GTA) (Lab TAs) 10 hours per week $20.00/hour None
MS (GA) (Graders) 10 hours per week $16.00/hour None
BS (GA) (Lab or Grading) 10 hours per week $15.00/hour None

(PhD students must be enrolled in at least 6 hours before Residential Fee Waiver is applied.)

Application Process: Once you have completed all your application materials, give them to N a n L o r e n z in the CSEE office.
Scanned and emailed applications are accepted as well, lorenzn@umkc.edu

TOEFL TEST INFO for Graduate Students in CSEE

Information confirmed June 2017

Graduate students applying for an appointment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant should keep in mind that students who are employed in these
positions are expected to have excellent English and communication skills. The Missouri Revised Statutes (Section 170.012) dictates that
students ‘who did not complete both their primary and secondary education in a nation or territory in which English is the primary
language’ must demonstrate their skills before they can be appointed in such a position.

Various requirements are dictated by the Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 170.012, http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/17000000121.html

Starting Fall 2014, the certification rules are:

o (1) US Citizens and Permanent Residents of the USA are exempt from these rules.
o (2) Applicants with college degrees from the U.S. are exempt from the rules.
o Applicants who do not meet criteria (1) or (2), to be eligible to be considered for employment during the current term, applicants must provide a
TOEFL Speaking test score. The test can be taken at the UMKC Testing Center, 4825 Troost or at other testing locations including in Lee’s
Summit, MO and Overland Park, KS. The test currently costs about $190. The applicant must pay this fee. Register for the TOEFL test on the
TOEFL website at: http://www.ets.org/toefl/
o If someone is required to take the TOEFL test, they must also present a simulated lecture/panel presentation (about 5-7 minutes in length)
which is then evaluated by a panel of faculty and students who witness the live presentation. The presentation is also recorded by
a representative from the School of Graduate Studies.
o If students have not previously lived in the United States, in order to be fully certified to hold a GTA appointment, students must participate in a
Cultural Orientation offered each fall semester by the School of Graduate Studies.

Full Certification as GTA (24 or above)

o A TOEFL Speaking score of 24 or above allows someone to present the panel presentation. Passing this, in addition to attending Cultural Orientation,
will afford the student certification for eligibility for a position.

Possible GTA (22 or 23)

o A TOEFL Speaking score of 22 or 23 requires the student to request a petition from CSEE to the School of Graduate Studies to permit the person to
take the simulated lecture/oral presentation.
o The person must pass the simulated lecture/oral presentation and attend the Cultural Orientation.

Failure to Attain Status (21 or below)

o Someone who takes the TOEFL test and scores 21 or below on the Speaking part is not required by SGS to retake the test. Instead, they can schedule
an Oral Interview in the Applied Language Institute to determine their next steps in the certification process.
APPLICATION for DOCTORAL Student Employment in CSEE
SEMESTER:____________________________ Applying for (circle those that apply): GTA GA
(1) Are you a US Citizen or Permanent Resident of the USA? YES NO (circle one answer)
(2) Are you from an English-speaking country (such as Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or USA) ? YES NO (circle one answer)
(3) Do you have a college degree from an English-speaking country? YES NO (circle one answer)
If YES, list the degree, college, country and date received:
(4) If you answered NO to questions (1), (2) and (3) above and are applying for a GTA, did you take the oral presentation in the past? YES NO
(circle one answer) If you answered YES to question (4), did you pass the oral presentation? YES NO (circle one answer)

(5) Have you been found guilty of academic dishonesty at UMKC? YES NO (circle one answer)

Sign at the bottom and drop off at the CSEE front desk or sign and email a scanned application to lorenzn@umkc.edu Any
offer will be send to your UMKC email address, and you will be given limited time to reply. Be sure to check email frequently.

First and Last name (Please use CAPS for last

name.

UMKC student - ID

UMKC email address

Local phone number

Enter TOEFL Speaking-score

(or enter ‘Native’ if you are a native speaker.)

Name of research advisor

Academic Preparation in which discipline(s) from which universities

Undergraduate degree(s)

MS and other degree(s)

(list field of specialization or major advanced

courses taken, please attach vitae as well)

Academic Performance from lecture based courses

from all courses
only
Number of graduate credit hours at UMKC

GPA in these courses

Academic Progress answer for primary disc answer for co-discipline

Name of discipline

Semester you passed (or plan to take) the Qual. exam

Semester you passed (or plan to take) the comp. exam

Which classes are you taking next semester?

Have you made any technical or research presentations?

(not counting individual presentations with your advisor
only)

Rate your attendance to departmental seminars last

year as ’usually attended’, ’frequently attended’ or
’rarely attended’

Have you submitted manuscripts to a journal or conference

for peer-review? Please give some detail in terms of
numbers, and which have been accepted.
 When are you planning to submit additional ones?
Please give month/year.

When are you hoping to defend your dissertation?

Please give month/year.

Previous Financial Support

If assignment had research If assignment had instructional component:
not supported component: name advisor course and instructor/supervisor

SP17

FS16

SP16

FS15

SP15

FS14

(Please note that we may contact research advisor and/or instructor/supervisor for their feedback on your performance. Also note, that
any future offers also depends the overall progress you make toward completion of your degree). The department cannot commit to support
a student as a GA (see below) who is dropped from a sponsored project.

Other sources of UMKC-institutional support

Please list any other UMKC sources of support that you expect for the coming semester or that you received in recent semesters: GRA
from a CSEE faculty member, GRA in another department, chancellors or Dean Scholarship, and so on. if you had a GRA (or similar)
position in another department, please list department, supervisor, and FTE. If you has a scholarship or fellowship, please list name the
award and the amount.
no support from other GRA department or fellowship name
UMKC sources
SP16

FS15

SP15

FS14

Are you where How many hours

working ?

Please circle all courses for which you are well prepared to assist, and number them according to your priority.
Please prioritize all ECE courses. Please prioritize all CS / IT courses.

226 227 228 229 276 277 100 101 191 201 201L 281 282
376 377 330 331 430 431
291 321 352 394 420 421 423
341 380 381 412 416 426
427 428 429 474 480 433 431 441 451 470 471 481 494R
5535 5572 5642 5569 5635
5520 5522 5551 5596A 5596B ... ...
list any others
list any others

This offer is also contingent to the formal approval of UMKC Hiring Committee.
Feel free to attach your vitae and other statements to this application, indicating other strengths that may be relevant in the decision making
process. Completed application forms must be delivered to the CSEE front office or scanned and e-mailed to: lorenzn@umkc.edu. Any offers will
be made by email to your UMKC-email address, so be sure to clearly indicate this.

With my signature, I certify that all information on this application is accurate and complete, that I have read the material in this application
package, that I understand the qualification and eligibility requirements and that I agree to the conditions and expectations if offered a
position. I give my permission to review my academic records for the purpose of evaluating my application for employment and to contact
current and former instructors and employers for recommendations.
APPLICATION for MASTER’S Student Employment in CSEE
SEMESTER:_____________Applying for (circle those that apply): GTA GA Major: CS EE (circle one answer)
(1) Are you a US Citizen or Permanent Resident of the USA? YES NO (circle one answer)
(2) Are you from an English-speaking country (such as Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or USA) ? YES NO (circle one answer)
(3) Do you have a college degree from an English-speaking country? YES NO (circle one answer)
If YES, list the degree, college, country and date received:
(4) If you answered NO to questions (1), (2) and (3) above and are applying for a GTA, did you take the oral presentation in the past? YES NO
(circle one answer) If you answered YES to question (4), did you pass the oral presentation? YES NO (circle one answer)
(5) Do you have a DISA award? YES NO (circle one answer)
(6) Have you been found guilty of academic dishonesty at UMKC? YES NO (circle one answer)

Note: If you are currently an MS student and have submitted an application for our doctoral degrees, then you should use the
Doctoral Student Application Form. Sign at the bottom and drop off at the CSEE front desk or sign and email a scanned application
to lorenzn@umkc.edu. Any offer will be send to your UMKC email address, and you will be given limited time to reply.
Be sure to check email frequently.

First and Last name (Please use CAPS for last

name.

UMKC student - ID

UMKC email address

Local phone number

Enter TOEFL Speaking-score

(or enter ‘Native’ if you are a native speaker.)

Name of research advisor

Academic Performance from lecture based courses

from all courses
only
Number of graduate credit hours at UMKC

GPA in these courses

Academic Preparation in which discipline(s) from which universities

Undergraduate degree(s)

MS and other degree(s)

(list field of specialization or major advanced

courses taken)

Academic Progress your undergraduate degrees your current degree

Name of discipline

Which classes are you taking next semester?

Are you currently working? Yes No

Where and how many hours?
Did you attend any seminars last year? (depart-
mental e.g.)

Are you planning to submit a manuscript to a journal

or conference for peer-review? Please give some detail.

When are you hoping to defend your thesis and

graduate? Please give month/year.
Previous Financial Support
If assignment had research If assignment had instructional component:
not supported component: name advisor course and instructor/supervisor

SP17

FS16

SP16

FS15

SP15

(Please note that we may contact research advisor and/or instructor/supervisor for their feedback on your performance. Also note, that
any future offers also depends the overall progress you make toward completion of your degree). The department cannot commit to support
a student as a GA (see below) who is dropped from a sponsored project.

Other sources of UMKC-institutional support

Please list any other UMKC sources of support that you expect for the coming semester or that you received in recent semesters: GRA
from a CSEE faculty member, GRA in another department, chancellors or Dean Scholarship, and so on. if you had a GRA (or similar)
position in another department, please list department, supervisor, and FTE. If you has a scholarship or fellowship, please list name the
award and the amount.

no support from other GRA department or fellowship name

UMKC sources
SP17

FS16

SP16

Please circle all courses for which you are well prepared to assist, and number them according to your priority.
Please prioritize all ECE courses. Please prioritize all CS / IT courses.
226 227 228 229 276 277 100 101 191 201 201L 281 282
376 377 330 331 430 431
291 321 352 394 420 421 423
341 380 381 412 416 426
427 428 429 474 480 433 431 441 451 470 471 481 494R
5535 5572 5642 5569 5635
5520 5522 5551 5596A 5596B ... ...
list any others
list any others

This offer is also contingent to the formal approval of UMKC Hiring Committee.
Feel free to attach your vitae and other statements to this application, indicating other strengths that may be relevant in the decision making
process. Completed application forms must be delivered to the CSEE front office or scanned and e-mailed to: lorenzn@umkcedu. Any
offers will be made by email to your UMKC-email address, so be sure to clearly indicate this.

With my signature, I certify that all information on this application is accurate and complete, that I have read the material in this application
package, that I understand the qualification and eligibility requirements and that I agree to the conditions and expectations if offered a
position. I give my permission to review my academic records for the purpose of evaluating my application for employment and to contact
current and former instructors and employers for recommendations.

Signature Date:
 Application for Undergraduate Employment in CSEE
Use this form for Undergraduate Assistantship in Teaching
Applying for (circle those that apply): GTA GA Major: CS ECE (circle one answer)

(1) Are you a US Citizen or Permanent Resident of the USA? YES NO (circle one answer)
(2) Are you from an English-speaking country (such as Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or USA) ? YES NO (circle one answer)
(3) Do you have a college degree from an English-speaking country? YES NO (circle one answer)
If YES, list the degree, college, country and date received:
(4) If you answered NO to questions (1), (2) and (3) above and are applying for a GTA, did you take the oral presentation in the past? YES NO
(circle one answer) If you answered YES to question (4), did you pass the oral presentation? YES NO (circle one answer)

(5) Have you been found guilty of academic dishonesty at UMKC? YES NO (circle one answer)

First Name Last Name

UMKC Student ID number UMKC email Local Telephone Number

Currently working: yes no

How many hours:

TOEFL score TOEFL Speak score UMKC Hours UMKC gpa graduating semester

Note: TOEFL score and TOEFL Speak score not required for Native speaker of English.

List all Lab courses, which you can teach with the order of priority.

1.___________ 2.__________ 3._________ 4._________ 5._________

With my signature below, I give my permission to review my academic records for this purpose and to contact current and former instructors for
recommendations. Furthermore, I attest that

1. I am a student in good standing, and any offer is contingent on me being in good standing at the beginning of the Fall semester 2013.

2. I have upheld and will continue to uphold and support the highest professional values and standards associated with our profession, including
academic honesty. I understand that any proven allegations of misconduct, academic or otherwise, is reason for immediate discontinuation of the
contract.

3. If offered a position, I will sign a Confidentiality Agreement

4. If offered a position, I will attend orientation sessions as directed

5. If offered a position, I will report any suspected violations to professional values and standards associated with our profession, including
academic honesty.

6. I understand that the selection for assistantship is based on overall academic pe r f or m a nc e , specific critical need areas, on the communication
skills as evidenced by the TOEFL score, and the needs of the department.

7. This offer is also contingent to the formal approval of UMKC Hiring Committee.

 Feel free to attach your vitae and other statements to this application, indicating other strengths that may be relevant in the decision
making process.

 Completed application forms must be delivered to Nan Lorenz, CSEE Departm ent or scanned and e-mail to Nan Lorenz,
lorenzn@umkc.edu