The University of Maine offers teaching, research, and graduate assistantships for eligible students. TAs and RAs are competitive and typically awarded by academic departments. GA positions are either federal work-study or non-work-study eligible and involve working within offices or departments on campus.

Definitions

• TAs or teaching assistants are those whose primary responsibilities include teaching
• RAs or research assistants are those whose primary responsibilities are performing research
• GAs or graduate assistants are those whose primary responsibilities are providing other support (not including teaching or research). There are two types of GA positions:
  • Federal work-study GAs are only open to domestic students who have completed the FAFSA. Federal work-study funding may be available through the Office of Student Employment for graduate students who meet financial and academic qualifications. For more information about whether you might qualify, visit our Federal Work-Study FAQ page.
  • Department funded GAs are open to all graduate students

Opportunities

Chase Distinguished Research Assistantships

Five research assistantships are available annually and are awarded by the Graduate School. The stipend amount is the same as the University’s minimum stipend for the academic year (9 months). A tuition waiver for up to nine hours per semester is included exclusive of courses taken as audit or pass/fail or below 400 level. Partial health benefits are also included. These awards are made on a competitive basis and involve nomination by the department of study and submission of a research proposal delineating the research to be undertaken.

Susan J. Hunter Teaching Assistantships

Susan J. Hunter Teaching Assistantships are awarded to doctoral students. Each TA is required to teach one lower division course normally scheduled to be taught by a member of the graduate faculty. The graduate faculty member must agree to teach a graduate course that otherwise would not have been taught; this course can be delivered during any semester. All TAs will be required to attend several teaching workshops to be held during the Fall semester, run by the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning.

Shared Teaching Assistantships

The Graduate School assists in coordination of sharing teaching assistants across graduate programs using TA lines which
have been offered in the past on an ad hoc basis to meet increased undergraduate teaching needs and funded either
through college resources or through resources provided centrally by the Office of Academic Affairs. These awards are made on a competitive basis and involve nomination by the department of study.