Graduate assistantships are available each year in many departments and administrative offices to assist students with expenses while studying for advanced degrees at Missouri State.

To be eligible for a graduate assistantship, a student must be admitted to a graduate program at Missouri State and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work, or a minimum of GPA of 3.0 on 9 or more hours of the most recent graduate course work.

The graduate assistantship provides a minimum stipend of $7,050 for the academic year (nine months) and a tuition scholarship for up to 12 hours of course work for both Fall and Spring semesters and six hours in the summer semester. In a few situations, a stipend of $9,360 may be available. A graduate assistant is required to complete a minimum of 6 hours of graduate course work (500-800 level) during each semester of an academic year appointment. Students who have served as assistants for the academic year or for the Spring semester are eligible to receive a scholarship for up to 6 hours of course work for the following Summer session. A minimum of 3 of these summer scholarship hours must be graduate credit, and all must be graduate credit if the enrollment is for 3 hours or less.

A limited number of graduate assistantships are also available during the Summer session. A graduate assistant appointed for the Summer session will receive a minimum stipend of $1,762 or $2,340 and a tuition scholarship for up to 6 hours of course work. A Summer graduate assistant is required to complete a minimum of 3 hours of graduate course work during the summer session.

Graduate assistantships are offered in both administrative and academic areas and involve academic, administrative, research, and/or teaching responsibilities. Whenever and wherever feasible, the assistantship assignment is closely related to the student's program of study.

To apply for a graduate assistantship, one must submit an application and three letters of recommendation directly to the department in which an assistantship is sought. Applications are available from the Graduate College, Carrington Hall, Room 306 (417) 836-5335.

Graduate students who did not receive both their primary and secondary education where English was the primary language must meet the following requirements to qualify for graduate assistantships with teaching assignments at Missouri State.

1. Successfully complete one semester of graduate studies at Missouri State, during which they complete cultural orientation to prepare them for such teaching appointment.
2. Pass an Missouri State juried examination in which the candidate must demonstrate his/her ability to interpret written English passages and to communicate orally in English in a classroom setting. Membership of the jury will include one member of the applicant's major department (appointed by that department's head), one member from the Department of Communications, and one other faculty representative (the latter two members to be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College).