Doctoral Assistantships
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Doctoral students in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies are eligible for Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) and Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs). Almost all students admitted to the Ph.D. program receive some type of financial assistance. After admission to the doctoral programs, the Office of Academic Assistance will inform newly admitted students who are seeking an assistantship of the type of appointment, if any, which they have been awarded.

For first year students, the average award in recent years was a $14,000 GRA stipend plus a tuition waiver. Second-year students and beyond are also eligible for research and teaching assistantships, and the program has a history of continuing to fund students who are demonstrating progress in the program at a level of support equal to or greater than what they received in the first year.

Students hired as GRAs work with faculty members in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies on research projects in their area of interest. (Students in the joint Ph.D. in Public Policy may also work with faculty in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech.) The partnerships between the AYSPS, its research centers and a number of nonpartisan, nonprofit research organizations give students the opportunity to perform research which can have immediate application to problems of city, country, state and federal policy makers. A number of GRAs have also been involved in international policy projects, most recently on tax reform in Russia and environmental issues in South America.

Fees for GRAs and GTAs

A student hired as a GRA or GTA receives a waiver of tuition and matriculation fees. Only the mandatory university fees, including a registration fee, are assessed during any semester a student is hired as a graduate assistant, regardless of the number of hours in which the student enrolls during that semester.

Standards Applying to GRA and GTA Appointments

The following criteria must be met by any graduate student who is appointed as a GRA or GTA in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies:

1. The student must register for a minimum of 18 credit hours of appropriate coursework during each semester in which an assistantship is held.
2. The student must maintain satisfactory academic standing during the period(s) of their appointment, including a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average. Students must also be making normal progress toward completion of the degree requirements.
3. A student may receive a maximum of two stipends per semester from all combinations of funding as follows: state-funded GRA, GTA, and externally-funded GRA.
4. Concurrent with the assistantship appointment, doctoral students should not be engaged in other significant outside employment. Students in this situation should request approval for hire through the chair of the department and the faculty advisor.
5. Satisfactory performance, as measured by the department, is required for continuation of GRA or GTA appointments in subsequent semesters. To be rehired as a GRA, an overall satisfactory evaluation on the GRA evaluation form is required.

Additional Appointment Criteria for Graduate Teaching Assistants

1. To be appointed as a GTA, a student must: (a) have a master's degree in a discipline related to the course to be taught; (b) have completed at least 30 semester hours of graduate coursework in a related discipline; or (c) have professional certification(s) deemed equivalent to a master's degree.
2. All students, prior to their appointment as a GTA, must be recommended for hiring by the department and approved by the Board of Regents before the beginning of the semester the student desires to teach.
3. In order to receive a GTA appointment, students must demonstrate good communication skills. Students whose native language is not English must pass an English competency examination conducted by the Office of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language (ESL). Courses are offered by ESL to prepare students for the examination.