Teaching and Research Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships

English graduate students in the PhD program gain valuable experience as teaching assistants (TAs). TA training activities include a workshop at the beginning of the fall semester taught by the director of composition, a seminar on teaching, apprenticeships under direct supervision of the director of composition, in-service mentoring and colleague supervision throughout the term of appointment, as well as supervised experience in special instructional areas.

TAs are given full responsibility for teaching two sections of first-year composition per semester. While most assignments are in first-year writing courses, many experienced TAs will have the opportunity to teach in other areas as well, including advanced composition, literature, linguistics, technical writing, basic writing, and in multi-cultural World Civilization and ESL courses.

Stipends come with full tuition waivers (including health insurance) for the academic year. If you complete your graduate application online, you will have automatically indicated that you seek a Teaching Assistantship. To learn more about financial aid and costs, please visit the Graduate School Finance page or contact the department’s Director of Graduate Studies or Academic Coordinator.

Patty Wilde
Director of Graduate Studies
English Department
PO Box 645020 Pullman, WA 99164-5020 USA
patty.wilde@wsu.edu

Research Assistantships

Research Assistant positions give students opportunities to work closely with faculty in ongoing research and scholarly projects, including the editing and production of the department’s scholarly journals, the preparation of textual editions, and research in writing pedagogy, including computer-assisted instruction. The number and nature of RA positions vary from year to year.