The Department of Writing & Rhetoric awards a limited number of students in our program Graduate Teaching Assistantships each year; the number of new assistantships we can award in a given year depends on several factors, including 1) how many assistantships we are given by Graduate Studies/College of Arts and Humanities; 2) how many current assistantship students graduated that year; 3) department budget and staffing needs.
Generally, new assistantships are awarded to incoming students, who undergo a separate assistantship application process involving an interview. Depending on department needs, assistantships can also be awarded to students who have performed well in ENC 5705 and who have 18 hours of graduate credit.
Typical Terms of Graduate Teaching Assistantships
Students who remain in “good standing” with the College of Graduate Studies, meet all assistantship requirements, and perform well in ENC 5276: Theory and Practice of Tutoring Writing and/or 5705: Teaching College Composition are eligible for support in the Fall/Spring terms only, which includes a tuition waiver and stipend of $5K each term. Students are required to:
- Be full-time students (9 regular hours per term or 3 thesis hours in final term)
- Work 20 hours per week on UCF’s main campus as a peer consultant in the University Writing Center (UWC), as a first-year composition instructor, or some combination
Types of Teaching Involved
In the first year of their assistantship, students typically work as consultants in the University Writing Center, which requires them to take ENC 5276 and participate in all other required training. In addition to working one-on-one with writers (or groups of writers) on an appointment or walk-in basis, consultants may also give presentations about the UWC, lead special topic workshops, work with small group projects, develop pedagogical or publicity materials, and consult with writers via telephone or the Internet. All consultants are also expected to perform office duties. Because the UWC collaborates with the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program, writing consultants might also work with students and faculty as part of the WAC program.
Starting in the second year, after successful completion of ENC 5705 and interview for the position, students may teach two sections of first-year composition each term as part of the First-Year Writing Program. GTAs teaching first-year writing also complete additional training from the program (e.g., teaching circles and workshops), Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, and Graduate Studies.