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Washington State University
History | Financial Assistance

Teaching Assistantship

The only type of financial assistance regularly offered by the Department of History is the teaching assistantship. Appointments of teaching assistants are announced each year near the end of the spring semester. Two general factors determine appointments as teaching assistants: availability of funds and the academic quality of the applicants as judged by the faculty of the Department of History. Normally appointments are for one year and are renewable competitively, if funds are available, on the basis of academic quality and satisfactory performance of assigned duties as judged by the faculty of the Department of History. Students may hold teaching assistantships for a maximum of 2 years while enrolled in the M.A. program and 4 years if enrolled in the Ph.D. program. Research assistantships and other graduate appointments are exempt from these financial assistance guidelines.

Applicants for admission to the Department of History may make application for appointment as a teaching assistant through the procedures outlined in the Guidelines for Admissions. Incumbents in the post of teaching assistant will be renewed if eligible under the limits stated above, unless the Graduate Studies Committee notifies them to the contrary prior to May 1, or unless the Graduate Studies Committee is informed by the concerned individual that he or she does not wish to be considered a candidate for renewal. Incumbents whose funding is in jeopardy will receive a warning letter in April from the director of graduate studies. Final decisions regarding eligibility will be made by the faculty of the Department of History on the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee. Graduate students enrolled in the Department of History but not holding appointments as teaching assistants and incumbents deemed ineligible for funding may be considered for appointment or reappointment if they notify the Graduate Studies Committee of their desire to be considered for eligibility by January 10. Such students will be ranked with all new applicants.

Each year, the Graduate Studies Committee will place all new applicants for teaching assistantships in a numerical ranking based upon overall performance. The committee will then estimate the number of teaching assistantships available for the following year and make a certain number of early offers to the most promising new applicants. All other teaching assistantships will be awarded according to the numerical ranking, beginning with the first name on the list, to the limit of the department’s financial resources. All rankings require the approval of the faculty of the Department of History. Advanced doctoral students (post-preliminary examinations) who hold teaching assistant appointments may have the opportunity to teach a course of their own. The prerequisites for such an appointment are the successful completion of History 595 and a major field in the area covered by the course. Appointments will be made by the chair of the department on the recommendation of the director of graduate studies.

Tuition Waiver and In-State Residency

The assistantship appointment will exempt you from paying in-state tuition if you live in Washington State during your enrollment at WSU. We also will provide you with an out-of-state tuition waiver during your first year of studies if you are not a resident of Washington State; however, the out-of-state tuition waiver cannot be guaranteed beyond one year.  If you are not a resident of Washington State, you must begin the process now to establish state residency (see http://www.gradschool.wsu.edu/FutureStudents/StudentLife/Residency.aspx).  Students who have not established Washington State residency by the one-year limit will be required to pay out-of-state tuition, even if they have an assistantship.  International students are not eligible to become residents but will receive the full tuition waiver to cover their cost for a maximum of 2 years while enrolled in the M.A. program and 4 years if enrolled in the Ph.D. program.