Graduate Assistantships & Other Financial Aid

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The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is able to offer every year several graduate teaching assistantships, either full-time or half-time, to qualified students. The exact number of awards may vary from year to year, depending on student demand for foreign languages and the College budget for teaching assistantships.

These assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis only to the most qualified domestic and international students. Selection criteria for new teaching assistants include but are not limited to letters of recommendation, academic ranking, ability in the foreign language and in English, prior teaching experience, relevance of assistantship to career goals, relevance of assistantship as a recruiting tool, and financial need. All things being equal, preference will be given to domestic applicants. Teaching assistants on a 50% stipend (full-time) normally teach two courses (8 credit hours) one semester and one course (4 credit hours) the other. When awarded for only one semester the assistant will normally teach two courses. Assistants on a 25% (half-time) stipend teach one course (4 credit hours) per semester.

Our graduate assistants normally teach beginning-level language classes on the SIU Carbondale campus but they also have a unique opportunity to teach in the Elementary School Foreign Language through the Carbondale School District. Many students elect to teach in both areas.

 

Application Procedures for an Assistantship

 

1. Submit completed Graduate Assistant Application Form to the Graduate Advisor (address below) by 1 March to be considered in the application pool for the coming academic year. Application can be submitted at any time for consideration of graduate assistantships on a fill-in basis. Application Form can be copied from the link below.

 

2. Along with the completed Graduate Assistant Application Form, you will need three (3) letters of recommendation (You may use the same ones supplied for admission to Graduate School.) and a tape recording of you in both English (2-3 minutes) and either French or Spanish (2-3 minutes). With permission of the language section, you may substitute a formal interview (in person or on the telephone, as appropriate) with a member of the section in lieu of the tape recording.

 

3. You will be notified in writing of the outcome of the selection process.

 

Graduate Assistant Application Form

 

You may also request a Graduate Assistant Application Form by contacting Lourdes Albuixech by email (albuixel@siu.edu) or at the address below.

 

Submit materials to:

Lourdes Albuixech

Graduate Advisor

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (MC 4521)

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale IL 62901

Other Financial Aid

There are also a number of university fellowships available to graduate students awarded by the Graduate School. Fellowships are quite competitive, and application must be made by February 1 preceding the academic year for which the award is desired. A letter of support is also required from the Department. The stipend for a graduate masters fellowship is approximately $950 per month. Graduate fellows have a training assignment, usually involving indirect teaching and/or research activities with individual professors. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all fellowship applicants. You will need to take this exam well in advance of the application deadline so that your scores can be forwarded in time for consideration.

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