Student Research Awards & Teaching Program

Teaching Assistants support faculty by fulfilling a range of instructional responsibilities. These may include leading discussion sections, delivering lectures, assisting with classroom management, assigning homework, assessing student work, administering exams, and maintaining attendance and other records. TAs work under the close supervision of the instructor of record, who designs the syllabus and determines course content. For more information about TA job duties, please consult this document.

The Provost’s Office coordinates the selection process for most TA positions at The New School, working in close consultation with the departments sponsoring the courses and the faculty who teach them. All hiring decisions are made by these departments.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility qualifications by the time of application in order to be considered for a TA position. These requirements vary depending on the school to which the applicant is applying.

Applicants’ home schools and departments determine their initial eligibility (please note that eligibility does not guarantee final selection). The departments that sponsor the courses for which TAs will be selected then make all hiring decisions.

Applicants for most TA positions at the university:

• Must be matriculated (i.e., enrolled in courses or maintaining status) in the semester(s) in which they will be Teaching Assistants
• Must be within the time limit for attaining their degree
• Must not have more than 33 percent of attempted course credits marked as incomplete
• Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or above
• If in a master’s degree program, must be on track to complete 50 percent of their master’s degree program by the end of the spring 2024 semester (MFA Photography, MArch Architecture, and MA International Affairs students are eligible to serve as TAs in the second year of their studies)

Applicants for TA positions offered by departments at The New School for Social Research:

• Must be matriculated (i.e., enrolled in courses or maintaining status) in the semester(s) in which they will be Teaching Assistants
• Must be within the time limit for attaining their degree
• Must not have more than 33 percent of attempted course credits marked as incomplete

Basic Responsibilities
All Teaching Assistants support the instructors of record for their classes by assisting with instructional responsibilities, but specific duties may vary by position.

All Teaching Assistants are expected to:

• Consult regularly with the instructor of record
• Attend all required course meetings
• Learn how to use Starfish and other university systems
• Familiarize themselves with Student Services and other university offices, so that students can be referred for support or assistance as needed
• Abide by all university academic and personnel policies and guidelines, including completion of the FERPA tutorial

In addition, TAs may also in some cases:

• Lead discussion sections
• Make themselves available to students who need individual academic assistance
• Assist with classroom management
• Assign homework
• Assess student work
• Provide grades and other feedback to students
• Administer exams
• Maintain attendance and other records

Finally, Teaching Assistants may:

• Attend an optional orientation in August or January
• Participate in a tuition-free, zero-credit course, UPED 6201 Topics in Pedagogy, and other professional development opportunities

Specific duties will be outlined in your appointment letter. Under no circumstances should a TA work more than the assigned number of hours, perform duties not assigned, work outside of the semester in which they are appointed, or pay for work-related expenses.

2024–2025 Teaching Assistantships
Applications for the 2024–2025 academic year are closed. Academically eligible students interested in any spring 2024 openings should apply on the careers website.

Information on this Teaching Assistant Opportunities document indicates which colleges and schools are looking for Teaching Assistants. The information was last revised on March 28th and may change depending on enrollments and courses may be canceled. Conversely, additional opportunities may become available. When this happens, applications will be distributed to the faculty teaching these courses for review. 

While on the site, applicants should also review these three documents:

Frequently Asked Questions

Differences Between TAs and TFs

Useful Information for TA Applicants, which lists the information that they should include in a cover letter and curriculum vitae.

Application Process
Before applying, carefully read the information below and review the TA Opportunities Document. You can indicate your preference for up to six courses that require TAs on the online application.

To apply, log in to the university careers website:

1. Click the "Students" button.
2. Select the job in Teaching Assistantships 2024–2025.
3. Click on "Apply to This Job."
4. Create an account if you do not yet have one.
5. Following the instructions, complete and submit the online application form.

Provide a cover letter of no more than two pages that includes the following information:

• Your academic and professional goals
• The projected timetable for completion of your degree
• Your teaching philosophy (e.g., how you structure a course, how you take differences in learning styles and abilities into consideration when leading discussions or planning lectures, and how your own personal and academic experiences influence your thinking about education)
• A brief statement explaining why you teach and what you value most about education
• Your approach to evaluating and assessing students
• Your general teaching interests (please be sure to list a teaching interest selected from the programs that are hiring, as many programs do not hire TFs and will not be reviewing applications)

Also provide a curriculum vitae that includes the following information:

• Your educational background (including master's work and thesis topic, if available)
• Any academic honors that you have received
• Your areas of specialty and competence
• Your dissertation topic
• Your professional experience, especially teaching
• Any professional development or training that you have had, especially teaching
• Languages

2024–2025 Application Process

• April 2024: The list of 2024–2025 TA opportunities will be circulated to all graduate students. The TA application will be posted on the careers page. 
• May 3rd, 2024: The TA Application is due.
• Early May 2024: The Provost's Office will inform all applicants of their eligibility status and forward the applications of tentatively eligible and eligible applicants to departments for review.
• Mid- to late May 2024: Departments will review applications.
• Late May 2024: Departments will send the first round of tentative offer letters to selected candidates. Some departments will not make final decisions on selections until the summer. 
• Summer 2024: Departments will send additional tentative offer letters on a rolling basis as needed. 

Questions should be sent to TeeShanee Johnson Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, at [email protected]. A detailed FAQ is also available.

Working under the supervision of the chairs or other designated faculty of the departments or programs in which they teach, Teaching Fellows are the instructors of record for their courses and assume independent responsibility for these classes. They may also participate in pedagogy workshops (if they have not done so already) and college faculty orientations. Teaching Fellows may lead courses within their own disciplines or in related, interdisciplinary subjects. They may also teach courses that are intended to develop research skills and other proficiencies, such as mathematics and statistical methods. Generally, Teaching Fellows have already had experience in the classroom as Teaching Assistants or in some other capacity, and have taken a class on teaching or had some other form of pedagogical training.

While the Provost’s Office coordinates the application process for Teaching Fellows, the departments and programs that sponsor these courses are responsible for making all hiring decisions. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend information sessions in the fall semester to learn more about the selection process, the required qualifications for the courses that they would like to teach, and helpful suggestions for putting together a strong application. Applicants should also review carefully the materials posted on this site, as they can be useful during the application process.

2024–2025 Teaching Fellowships
The application for the 2024–2025 academic year will open November 6. 

Minimum Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements for appointment by the time of application. Please note: Some departments have additional required and/or preferred qualifications (these will be posted when the TF application is made available in the current application cycle). Teaching Fellowships are highly selective, and meeting the minimum stated requirements does not guarantee selection.

• Students in programs that offer doctoral degrees at The New School must be accepted into a doctoral degree program at the time of application.
• Students must be matriculated (i.e., enrolled in courses or maintaining status) in the semester(s) in which they will be Teaching Fellows.
• The chair or director of the hiring department or program may set additional preferred qualifications for Teaching Fellows (e.g., teaching experience or previous conferral of a master’s degree).
• Students may not have a grade of "incomplete" for more than one third of their courses.
• Students must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4.
• Students must be within the time limit for attaining their degree.

Master's Students
Students enrolled in terminal master's programs (or programs that offer only a master's degree at The New School) must be finished with 50 percent of their master's degree program by the end of spring 2023 (or the end of summer 2023 for March and MFA Photography students). Students who expect to complete 50 percent of their program by these later dates will be deemed “Tentatively Eligible” at the time of application, and a final review of eligibility will occur once grades are posted for the spring semester.

Basic Responsibilities
All Teaching Fellows are expected to:

• Attend and lead all class meetings
• Make themselves available to students who need individual academic assistance
• Develop and/or revise syllabi as needed in consultation with the chair or director of the department or program sponsoring the course
• Determine and/or clarify course goals and objectives for student learning in consultation with the chair or director of the department or program sponsoring the course
• Develop all assignments in consultation with the chair or director of the department or program sponsoring the course
• Assess student learning, including assignments, papers, projects, attendance, and participation
• Provide grades and other feedback to students in a fair, transparent, and timely fashion
• Meet university deadlines for the submission of attendance rosters and grades
• Use required university systems, such as Starfish
• If the course is online, complete Canvas tutorial before the beginning of semester teaching
• Familiarize themselves with student services and other academic support so that students can be referred for support or assistance as needed
• Abide by all university academic and personnel policies and guidelines, including completion of the FERPA tutorial

Please consult this document for an overview of the differences in responsibilities between Teaching Assistantships and Teaching Fellowships.

Specific duties will be outlined in your appointment letter. Under no circumstances should a TF work more than the assigned number of hours, perform duties not assigned, work outside of the semester in which they are appointed, or pay for work-related expenses.

Application Process
Before applying, carefully read the information below and review the TF Opportunities Document. You can indicate your preference for two to four TF courses on the online application. The application deadline is Friday, December 8.

To apply, log in to the university careers website:

1. Click the "Students" button.
2. Select the job in Teaching Fellowships 2024–2025.
3. Click on "Apply to This Job."
4. Create an account if you do not yet have one.
5. Following the instructions, complete and submit the online application form.

Provide a cover letter of no more than two pages that includes the following information:

• Your academic and professional goals
• The projected timetable for completion of your degree
• Your teaching philosophy (e.g., how you structure a course, how you take differences in learning styles and abilities into consideration when leading discussions or planning lectures, and how your own personal and academic experiences influence your thinking about education)
• A brief statement explaining why you teach and what you value most about education
• Your approach to evaluating and assessing students
• Your general teaching interests (please be sure to list a teaching interest selected from the programs that are hiring. Many programs do not hire TFs and will not be reviewing applications.)

Also provide a curriculum vitae that includes the following information:

• Your educational background (including master's work and thesis topic, if available)
• Any academic honors that you have received
• Your areas of specialty and competence
• Your dissertation topic
• Your professional experience, especially teaching
• Any professional development or training that you have had, especially teaching
• Languages

Some programs also require a short paragraph describing each of two to four courses you would be interested in teaching, with a statement on why you would like to teach them. While some of the programs hiring Teaching Fellows will consider these course proposals, most assign to TFs existing courses that are needed for their majors. A checklist for each program's required application materials and additional program-specific eligibility requirements will be distributed when the TF application is made available in November.

2024–2025 Application Process Timetable
Monday, November 6, 2023
The Teaching Fellowship application form is available on the careers website. Applicants should carefully review the available TF positions and the additional preferred qualifications before applying.

Mid- to Late November 2023
Three TF application Information Sessions hosted by the Provost's Office will be held. See this link for dates and times and information on how to sign up.

Friday, December 8, 2023
The deadline for submission of all application materials. 

Monday, January 8, 2024
Graduate students are emailed notification of their status: Not Eligible, Tentatively Eligible, or Eligible.

Mid-January to early March 2024
Program directors and department chairs are given access to Teaching Fellowship applications. Students may be contacted for interviews anytime between mid-January and early March.

April–May 2024
Colleges notify students if they have been selected as Teaching Fellows.

Please note that additional opportunities may become available throughout the months leading up to each semester. When this happens, appropriate application materials will be distributed for review to the programs and departments that make hiring decisions.

Questions should be sent to TeeShanee Johnson, Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, at [email protected]. A detailed FAQ is also available.