Academic Student Employment

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Overview

The Mathematics Department is strongly committed to the financial support of graduate students. A teaching assistantship is the most common form of financial support for graduate students in good standing. For the purpose of financial support, a student’s progress is measured against the degree programs timetables.

Students facing special financial hardship are urged to make this known to the department in a timely manner. Funding requests can be made via the Mathematics Funding Request Form if desired. The Department will do everything in its power to insure that all students in good standing are given sufficient financial aid to enable them to continue their study of mathematics.

All students are strongly encouraged to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year by the beginning of fall quarter. The FAFSA is used to determine eligibility for need-based awards and to apply for support from the Financial Aid Office as well as from the Department. No need-based fellowship can be awarded to a student who does not have a current FAFSA on file.

TA Appointments, Assignments, and Duties

TA appointments are usually made at 50% time (an assigned workload of ~220 hours per quarter). TAs are under the supervision of the instructor of record for the course. TAs are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the United Auto Workers (UAW). For more information regarding academic student employment, you can visit the Staff Human Resources page on Academic Student Employees Labor Agreements.

Graduate Students that do not have alternate funding by way of fellowship or other academic appointment will automatically be considered for teaching assistant positions. Faculty and TAs will be notified of the preliminary course assignments as soon as possible. Assignments are tentative pending student enrollment information and may be reassigned at short notice. Students who are not offered a teaching position from the department may seek employment as a TA in another department by joining the TA Jobs Google Group.

Instructors and their TA(s) will meet at the beginning of the quarter to complete the Description of Duties Form that will provided at the time of assignment. The performance of the tasks defined on the form will establish the basis of the end-of-quarter performance evaluation.

All Teaching Assistants are required to take MATH 288A during or prior their first quarter of employment.

Academic Student Employment Limits (APM 410)

Students may hold academic student employment for no more than 18 quarters, or 21 quarters if they qualify for extension per the the COVID Extension Policy. This includes employment as an graduate student instructor, teaching assistant, or course assistant. Summer Session does not count towards this total.

Tuition and Fee Remission

Graduate Students holding Academic Student Employees, including Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Associates In, and Graduate Student Researchers who have appointments of 50% time or greater will have tuition and fees covered by UCSC or by their hiring professor the quarter of their appointment. If GSHIP is waived by the student during their appointment, the funds are returned to the employer and not reimbursed to the student.

Graduate Program Contacts

Longzhi Lin, Graduate Vice Chair
lzlin@ucsc.edu | 831-459-4180

Lyss Melton, Graduate Advisor and Program Coordinator
mathgradadvising@ucsc.edu | 831-459-5461