College of Education
FAQs
FAQs Regarding Graduate Research Assistantships
What is the difference between an internship, practicum, and graduate assistantship?
An internship for course credit is needed to complete the Sports Administration program. Certain requirements need to be met for a practical experience to be counted as an internship, including registering for the internship course, working 20 hours per week at an approved internship site for the 3 hour course, and completing associated assignments/paperwork for a grade. To receive the 6 hours of credit, a full time internship is required (40 hours/week). Internship applications can be picked up in the Kinesiology department main office (KH Room 137). It is the student’s responsibility to obtain an internship location and have it approved by the internship coordinator. Internships may be paid or unpaid, depending on the organization.
A practicum allows you to receive course credit for practical sport field experience that is part time. The course counts as an elective and is subject to approval by Professor Brison. Practicum applications can be picked up in the Kinesiology department main office (KH Room 137).
A graduate assistantship is different from an internship and practicum in that the experience is organized through a formal contract between GSU and a specified sport organization. Assistantships also come with a stipend, in addition to a tuition waiver (full or partial), but do not count as course credit toward your degree.
How do I apply for a Graduate Assistantship (GA) position?
Once accepted into the Sports Administration graduate program, you will need to join the Sports Business listserve to receive GA information. Send an email to the Sport Business mailing list SportBusiness@gsu.edu to join. Your acceptance to the program will be verified and you will be added to the list. You will be notified via email about assistantship positions for the upcoming semester, as they become available. If you are not sure if you are on the list, visit the Sports Administration lab (KH Room 123) and talk with the lab graduate assistant.
Sport organizations send out GA job announcements to current students via the Sport Business listserve. The job announcements often require interested individuals to send cover letters, resumes, letters of recommendations, etc. directly to the sport organization to obtain an interview. GA interviewing and hiring is done by the individual sport organizations based on availability. GSU graduate assistantship positions include: Sports Administration program graduate research assistants (e.g., helping professors) or within the GSU athletics department (e.g., marketing, sports information, student –athlete development, coaching staff, etc.). Also, Georgia Tech, Emory University, Kennesaw State University, Agnes Scott College, LEJ Sports, USTA Tennis South have positions, as well as other sport organizations in the Metro Atlanta region. You will be required to work at least 20 hours per week for the organization, depending on the assistantship. Waivers, stipends, and contract length (semester vs. annual) vary by sport organization. **All GA positions may not be available every semester; the availability depends on the number of students who graduate each semester and leave open positions. If you are not hired as a GA for your first semester, you are encouraged to follow the listserve and apply for available positions the next semester. GA positions are very competitive. **
If you are a sport organization interested in being a part of the Georgia State student graduate assistantship program, please contact a faculty member to discuss the opportunity.
I have been hired as a GA; what steps do I need to take before the start of the semester?
The assistantship contract requires you to complete a number of tasks each semester to ensure you maintain registration for your classes (i.e., not dropped) and receive your stipend and tuition waiver. Failure to complete any one of the following steps prior to the start of every semester will result in forfeiting your assistantship and its accompanying benefits.
Prior to the start of each semester, you need to:
1. Register as a full time student (9 credit hours for fall and spring; 6 for summer) before the end of late registration. If waiver is not on before the end of late registration, you must pay all tuition and fees or classes will be dropped. Therefore, if you are not completely sure what you want to take in the upcoming semester, at least register for 9 credits before the late registration date (if you are not registered, a waiver cannot be applied, as you have no tuition to be waived). You can drop/add the classes before the semester, as long as you do not drop below nine – that is, if you drop one, immediately add another.
2. Register for 3 hours of KH 7975. This class is needed to activate the assistantship waiver. It can be in addition to your other 9 credits or count as part of the 9. It does not count towards your graduation. You may take more than 3 hours per term, in the event that you need more credits to reach the 9 credit minimum; however, this may delay your graduation.
3. Fill out a Tuition Waiver (Waiver forms are located in the KH office or you can ask a faculty member. Bring completed waiver to Angela Gardner in the KH Office).
4. Pay your student fees on time-- waivers DO NOT cover mandatory student fees. The mandatory student fees change from each semester and you are required to pay these prior to the deadline. To find out the cost of mandatory fees, it is available in GoSolar under Students Accounts and click “view account statements by term”. The Fall 2008 student fee for 9 credits was $600.
5. Complete hiring packet (W2s, etc.) with GSU Human Resources, located on the third floor of the One Park Place building. To get there take a left out of the Sports Arena, and the building is about 200 yards down on the right, at the corner of Decatur and Park Place. (For W2s, bring 2 forms of ID). (Only required to be completed for the first semester of GA position)
6. Check your immunizations. If they are not up to date with GSU, you will be dropped from your classes.
7. Every graduate assistant with a full tuition waiver is automatically charged for a health insurance plan through Pearce and Pearce (about $400 per semester). If you already have health insurance, you can get the plan and cost waived. You will need to show current proof of insurance. If student is eligible for full tuition waiver, you have 31 days from date waiver is added to register for or exempt from health insurance. More information is found on the website: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/healthinsurance.html
To get the insurance fee waived:
https://www.pearceandpearce.com/PearceSite/enroll/Intro.asp?id=144&CS=G&Enroll=waive
8. Sign a Graduate Assistant Personnel Action Form
9. All GSU Sports Administration students must complete the IRB training during their first semester. The Social/Behavior IRB approval information is found:
http://www.gsu.edu/research/irb_education_and_training.html
Bring a copy of your certificate (pass with 80% or better) to the Sport Business Lab GA. This allows you to be a part of research projects. (Only required to be completed for the first semester of GA position)
How often will I get paid?
Pay Block Pay Dates Last Business Day of:
Fall September, October, November, and December
Spring January, February, March, and April
Summer May, June, July, and August
The total amount of the stipend is divided by four and taxes are taken out according to your hiring paperwork.
Fall hire dates begin around August 11, depending on the academic calendar. Spring assistantships start the first day after Winter break.
What if I need to drop a class mid-semester?
You need to maintain a full time status to keep your assistantship. If you drop a class during the semester, and that puts you below the correct amount of hours, you will forfeit your assistantship and stipend.