Graduate Assistantship Eligibility

Op3.16-1 Graduate Assistantship Eligibility

1. To be eligible for a graduate assistantship, a student must be admitted to a graduate program at Missouri State University. A minimum GPA of 3.00 on the undergraduate cumulative, last 60 hours, or graduate cumulative (minimum of 9 hours) is required. In very rare circumstances an exception may be made to the 3.00 GPA requirement. Requests for exceptions are to be made to the Dean of the Graduate College by the unit wishing to hire the student as graduate assistant. Personnel Action Forms for graduate assistants not meeting eligibility requirements should not be submitted unless approval to do so has been given by the Dean of the Graduate College.
2. A graduate assistant is required to complete a minimum of 9 hours of graduate course work (600-800 level) or 12 hours combined graduate and undergraduate course work during the fall semester and 9 hours of graduate level coursework or 12 hours combined graduate and undergraduate course work during the spring semester. A student may hold an assistantship in the summer without being enrolled in coursework, as long as they are registered for the subsequent fall semester. A graduate assistant may enroll in as few as one credit hour during the final semester of their graduate program as long as they have applied to graduate and the reduced course load is sufficient to graduate. Continuation of research or applied experiences with active grades of Z meet this enrollment requirement for the final semester.  Audited classes do not count toward the required minimum credits. Dropping classes mid-semester may endanger the student’s eligibility in retaining the GA position.
3. The tuition fee waiver scholarship granted for any academic semester shall be limited to coverage of up to twelve (12) credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework. Enrollment in excess of twelve (12) credit hours within the same semester shall not be covered under this waiver and shall incur the applicable tuition and fees as established by the University. In cases where cohort-based program structures or accreditation requirements necessitate enrollment in more than twelve (12) credit hours, exemptions to this limit may be granted upon approval of the Dean, Graduate College. The tuition fee waiver scholarship will pay for the following: The basic tuition fee, regardless of student residency, per credit hour for graduate level courses. In addition, the student services or online/web conferencing/off campus fees assessed for graduate course enrollment are covered. No other fees such as program fees, enrollment fees nor supplemental course fees are covered.
4. Graduate assistants must maintain a 3.00 GPA to continue eligibility.
5. Given Human Resources guidelines and the time commitment to successfully complete a program of graduate study and effectively execute assistantship responsibilities, graduate students who hold full-time assistantships (20 hours per week) are not eligible for additional work on campus. If there are occasional special opportunities that involve additional university compensation, requests for exceptions can be made to the Dean of the Graduate College.
6. The number of academic semesters a student may hold an assistantship is limited (summer assistantships do not count toward maximums). 
   1. Graduate certificates: A student admitted only to a graduate certificate program may hold an assistantship for two academic semesters.
   2. Master’s degree programs: A student in a master's degree program may hold an assistantship for a maximum of four academic semesters.
   3. Extended programs: A student in a doctoral program (other than the PsyD or any research doctorates), an MFA, or the MS in Counseling is eligible for six academic semesters of assistantship support, and a student in the PsyD and research doctorates is eligible for eight semesters of support.
   4. Additional assistantship support: After holding an assistantship at Missouri State University, a student who is pursuing a second graduate program at the same level is eligible for half the number of semesters of assistantship support associated with that second program. Students must graduate from the first program and be admitted to the second program for additional eligibility. Students pursuing a second graduate program at a lower level (e.g., from master’s degree to graduate certificate) are not eligible for additional semesters of assistantship support. Students pursuing a second graduate degree at an advanced level are not subject to these restrictions.