Graduate Teaching Assistantships allows graduate student the opportunity to gain teaching experience, cover student tuition, and provide a monthly stipend. To learn more please refer to the Department website: http://communicationstudies.colostate.edu/grad/graduate-teaching-assistantships/

Graduate teaching assistants in the M.A. program are assigned to teach three or four courses per year. Generally those are one section of SPCM 200 Public Speaking during the first semester, two sections during the second semester, two sections during the third semester, and one or two section(s) during the fourth semester.  Some graduate teaching assistants may assist in large sections (75 students or more) of undergraduate courses, in which case their teaching load is reduced by one section of SPCM 200. Graduate students who wish to assist in courses without a course reduction may do so with the approval of the instructor. They may receive SPCM 684 Supervised College Teaching credit for this activity.  GTA mentoring is done by the Director of the Basic Public Speaking Course.

Doctoral graduate teaching assistants will teach four courses per year. Generally, doctoral students who are new to the department will begin by teaching SPCM 200: Public Speaking. As they advance in the program, doctoral students may have opportunities to teach additional courses in the undergraduate core curriculum (SPCM 100: Communication and Pop Culture; SPCM 130: Relational and Organizational Communication, and SPCM 207: Public Argumentation), and advanced undergraduate courses.

Teaching assignments are determined by the Department Chair and the Director of Undergraduate Studies and courses will be assigned according to departmental need.

Graduate students are required to submit one research project for presentation at a scholarly convention and are encouraged to submit additional papers/panels. Students must also keep track of all conference submissions and outcomes and report that information to the Graduate Studies Support Coordinator. Travel assistance may be available to graduate students presenting research at a conference. If funding is awarded, students must follow departmental and university procedures for documentation of eligible expenses.

All travel must conform to University travel regulations and procedures. Please see the appropriate office staff member for assistance with appropriate travel forms and instructions. Graduate students are eligible for reimbursement of eligible conference expenses only when

1. funds are available in their departmental account,
2. departmental and university travel procedures have been followed, including filing a travel document no later than two weeks prior to departure, and
3. receipts are submitted in a timely manner, usually no later than two weeks after the conclusion of the conference.

Note: even if a student is not using departmental funds to support professional travel, they must file a travel document prior to departure in order to be covered by university insurance.

Students are expected to meet two standards in their course of study:

• Satisfactory Performance refers to the requirement of minimum grade performance in course work, and fulfilling the expectations and requirements associated with the prospectus, thesis, and/or major research project.
• Satisfactory Progress refers to the speed and timeliness of progression through the program.

A student whose performance or progress is not satisfactory is subject to dismissal from the program, and, in general, must petition to remain in the program. Even in instances in which the petition process is waived or petitions are approved, students are expected to get back on schedule to meet satisfactory progress standards or to petition to reschedule their academic time line. Students are responsible for discussing with their academic advisers, and bringing to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies, any circumstances that will prevent their meeting academic progress standards.

Students funded on Graduate Assistantships are held to additional Satisfactory Performance standards, and may have the Satisfactory Progress standards more strictly enforced. The department must assure that assistantship funds are being invested in high-performing students who are progressing efficiently through the program requirements.

Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average across all Communication Studies courses, a 3.0 grade point average across all regular courses, and a 3.0 GPA in all regular and non-regular courses combined. Regular courses are distinct from independent or group study, thesis credits, study abroad, supervised college teaching, internships, or any courses graded on a pass/fail basis. Failure to meet the minimum GPA requirements will result in academic probation and, if not rectified, dismissal from the program.

Students funded on Graduate Teaching Assistantships must meet the requirements above; in addition, a grade below B in any required course will trigger a review of the student’s overall record and of whether continuation of support is merited.

Graduate students must pass the prescribed set of preliminary examinations. M.A. students must successfully defend their thesis prospectus or research project proposal. Ph.D. students must successfully defend their written and oral preliminary examination by the last day of class of their 6^th semester in the program. Only two attempts are allowed for each exam. Two failures on an exam will lead to dismissal from the program.  Both M.A. and Ph.D. students must successfully defend their thesis/research project/dissertation and fulfill all other degree requirements in order for degree conferral.

M.A. Students

• Graduate students are expected to familiarize themselves with and follow the required procedures, forms, and deadlines posted on the graduate school website.
• In general, graduate students are expected to take at least nine credits of core or elective courses each semester in their first year. In some semesters, independent study or practicum credits may be approved in place of a regular course.
• A. students are expected to identify a thesis or research project advisor in March or April of their first year. The rest of the committee should be comprised, in consultation with their advisor, by the end of the spring semester their first year.
• Plan A M.A. students are expected to defend their thesis prospectus during fall semester of their second year. Plan B M.A. students are expected to consult with their advisor regarding their research project and agree upon a project plan.
• A. students are expected to complete their thesis/research project by the end of spring semester their second year. Faculty members are generally not available to do thesis/research project defenses during the summer.
• Students who fail to complete degree requirements on time should be mindful of the Graduate School’s time limit for completion of graduate degrees, explained in the Graduate Bulletin as follows: There is a ten-year time limit for completion of the master’s or doctoral degrees. Courses to be applied toward fulfilling the requirements for the master’s and doctoral degrees, including any which may have been transferred from another institution, must have been registered for and completed within the 10 years immediately preceding the date of completion of requirements for the degrees.

Ph.D. Students

• Graduate students are expected to familiarize themselves with and follow the required procedures, forms, and deadlines posted on the graduate school website.
• In general, graduate students are expected to take at least nine credits of core or elective courses each semester until all course work has been completed. In some semesters, independent study or practicum credits may be approved in place of a regular course. Students who are privately funded and are pursuing the degree on a part-time basis may follow a plan approved by their advisor and on file with the department.
• Before the end of the advising period the second semester, Ph.D. students must have filed with the department a written semester-by-semester course plan including elective courses they plan to take and in which semester they plan to take their qualifying exam, approved by their advisor. This is an early draft of the official Plan of Study (GS 6), which must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than the deadline specified by the Graduate School. Ph.D. students should generally take their preliminary exam during their 5^th semester. All students must successfully pass their preliminary exams by the last day of class of the 6^th semester. The time frame may change if the student has to complete several Ph.D. prerequisite courses. A student failing the exam must retake it at the next opportunity. Per the Graduate School, a qualifying exam retake must take place at least 2 months but no more than 12 months after first qualifying exam process, unless the student agrees to a shorter time period.

While it is understood that the speed of dissertation research progress will vary according to the nature of the work and other circumstances, students are expected to make continuous, substantial progress to the Preliminary Oral Examination (dissertation proposal) and then through the remainder of their research and writing, to the Final Oral Examination (final defense), then any follow-up revisions, and submission of the dissertation in accordance with university and department requirements. Students should be aware of the “10 Year Rule” imposed by the Graduate School, as stated in the Graduate Bulletin as follows:

There is a 10-year time limit for completion of the master’s or doctoral degrees. Courses to be applied toward fulfilling the requirements for the master’s and doctoral degrees, including any which may have been transferred from another institution, must have been registered for and

Students who cannot meet the satisfactory progress standards may at any time ask their academic adviser to co-sign a petition to the Chair, to reschedule their academic time line in light of their specific situations. This petition will be reviewed by the Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies. Such petitions may involve an extension of the time period in which the student is expected to complete the degree. This may apply to students who want to pursue a graduate degree on a part-time basis or who want to take a leave of absence from graduate study. Such students should also consult the Graduate and Professional Bulletin for Graduate School requirements for continuous enrollment, readmission, and time limits.

Learn about student responsibilities and advisor/committee requirements here.

When publishing with a student, the faculty member should outline their personal policies and procedures as soon in the process as possible. The student should feel free to ask questions, negotiate, and/or find another writing partner as needed.  The authorship relationship may change over time, for example as the student and faculty member realize that the student can indeed contribute substantially to the project (not just as a research assistant) and, vice-versa, if the student ends up limiting his or her contributions to the preliminary stages of the project.

1. If the publication is from an M.A. thesis where little additional effort from the faculty member has been provided other than working on the document as advisor, the student should include a note of thanks and acknowledgement that the work is from the thesis and that the thesis was directed by Dr. Said Faculty.
2. If the publication is from an M.A. thesis where additional work, such as theoretical and/or methodological enhancements, additional data, additional criticism or interpretations, and/or more detailed work to structure and organize ideas, has been conducted by a faculty member and this work has been extended significantly beyond the work completed by the student, then the faculty member may have second author status.
3. If a student has assisted a faculty member in her/his research, such as gathering research materials, inputting data, and carrying out statistical data analysis, the student should be thanked for their assistance in the note of thanks.
4. If a student has made an important creative and intellectual contribution to a faculty member’s work, such as providing theoretical enhancements, developing the research design, contributing to data analysis decisions, interpreting results, and/or contributing to the structure and form of the faculty member’s initial work, the student should receive second author status.
5. If a student and faculty member begin a new project jointly and each has an equitable level of responsibility in the entire project, the student and faculty member should share co-author status. While names may appear in an agreed upon order or alphabetically, a note should indicate that both authors contributed equally to the essay. If the student and faculty member make different levels of contribution, they should determine the order of authorship based on those levels of contribution.
6. If a student begins a paper in class, the student should be urged to publish the paper on her/his own with little additional contribution from the faculty member beyond the usual level of feedback provided on class papers, in which case a note of thanks to the faculty member should be included. If the student does not want, or is unable, to publish on their own, then the student and faculty member may share co-author status assuming that the faculty member makes a significant contribution to the final work.

Graduate Student Conference Travel and Research Support

The Department of Communication Studies offers limited support for graduate student conference travel and research project costs during students’ first two (M.A. students) or four (Ph.D. students) years in the program. The following types of support are available. Specific funding amounts depend on the overall department budget. They are determined annually and can change at any time.

Master’s Student Conference Travel

Master’s students may receive reimbursement for approved expenses (up to the amount determined by the department that year) for one academic conference per year. They are required to have one or more competitively-selected research presentation(s) at that conference. If the department’s budget permits, students accepted to a conference occurring internationally may receive more funds for that conference than are awarded for national or regional conferences. Interested students must complete the department’s travel form by the date specified by office administrators, follow all university policy for travel and approved expenses, and submit reimbursement paperwork no later than the deadline specified by office administrators after the conference.

Doctoral Student Conference Travel and/or Research Support

Doctoral students may receive reimbursement for two discrete projects per year (up to the amount determined by the department that year). One project must be an academic conference at which they are required to have one or more competitively-selected research presentation(s). If the department’s budget permits, students accepted to a conference occurring internationally may receive more funds for that conference than are awarded for national or regional conferences. Interested students must complete the department’s travel form by the date specified by office administrators, follow all university policy for travel and approved expenses, and submit reimbursement paperwork no later than the deadline specified by office administrators after the conference.

For their second project, doctoral students have two options:

1. They may receive reimbursement for approved expenses (up to the amount determined by the department that year) for an academic conference at which they may be either a presenter or an attendee. Interested students must complete the department’s travel form by the date specified by office administrators, follow all university policy for travel and approved expenses, and submit reimbursement paperwork no later than the deadline specified by office administrators after the conference.
2. They may receive reimbursement for approved expenses (up to the amount determined by the department that year) for a discrete research project. Interested students must complete the department’s Ph.D. research project support form, have it signed by their advisor, and submit it to the Director of Graduate Studies. Requests will be evaluated on a rolling basis throughout the year and funds must be spent within the appropriate fiscal year.

Graduate Student Competitive Research Grants

The Department of Communication Studies will award competitively selected grants to support approved reimbursable expenses for specific research projects (e.g., survey or experimental design costs, travel to archives or research sites, software, transcribing, equipment, etc. These funds are not intended to be used to support conference travel. Note: equipment and software licenses are departmental property and must remain with the department when the research project is completed. Award amounts are subject to change depending on other departmental budgetary needs.) All first- and second-year M.A. students in good standing and Ph.D. students in good standing in years one through four are eligible to apply for grants up to the amount specified by the department each year. Award amounts will depend on the number and quality of applications and how central the funds are to completing the project. Generally, preference will be given to applications for support related to theses and dissertations.

The responsibility for meeting deadlines, requirements, and completing Graduate School paperwork/forms is solely that of the students. Second-year M.A. and fourth-year Ph.D. students should pay particular attention to the email from the Grad School in the spring concerning their application for graduation. Graduate students are encouraged to work with the Graduate Studies Support Coordinator on meeting deadlines, requirements and obtaining residency.