Teaching Assistantships in Management Science and Engineering
Who to contact
The TA Officer in Management Science and Engineering is responsible for coordinating the Teaching Assistant assignments each term. They do this with support from the department TA Coordinator.
For any and all TA inquires and questions, please contact our TA email
The TA Handbook is a resource that outlines all the guidelines and regulations throughout the TA process.
Applying for a teaching assistantship (TA) position
Before applying, please read information below thoroughly. It is your responsibility to ensure you understand the responsibilities and time commitment of a teaching assistant. See below for application deadlines.
Within the Department of Management Science and Engineering the teaching assistantship is not an award but an employment assignment where the applicant's relevant academic background and communication skills are primary considerations. There is no guarantee that an applicant will receive a teaching assistantship.
Your application is for a teaching assistantship and not for a specific course's teaching assistant position. If you receive a teaching assignment, your assignment to a course will be based on the needs of the department and your capabilities. This application provides you a means to provide your course preferences, but ultimately, TA positions are awarded based on many factors:
- the course instructor rankings of applicants
- the teaching support needs within the department and actual enrollment numbers
- the applicant's preferred courses
- the applicant's verbal communication skills (delivery of tutorials requires good verbal skills)
- the qualifications and suitability of applicant
- satisfactory completion of the two-day ExpecTAtions workshop
- consultation with applicant's supervisor (if applicable) and department graduate coordinator
Requirements of teaching assistants in Management Science and Engineering
There are several requirements that must be met by a student to qualify for employment as a teaching assistant:
- It is a requirement of the Faculty of Engineering that only those students who have successfully completed the workshop, ExpecTAtions, are eligible to hold a TA.
- Teaching assistants must be currently enrolled as students. Coop students on a work term are not eligible for teaching assistant position.
- Teaching assistants must be fully available for their assigned course:
- At a minimum, the TA must be available during times scheduled for the course's tutorial and labs. Some instructors may need a TA available during lectures for in class exams, etc.
- You must be available to proctor the final exam.
- As a TA, you must be available from the first day of the first month of the term until the last day of the last month of the term. Note that the end of the term extends past final exams. You may not leave early for vacation at the end of the term without permission of the instructor.
- Students should not have any outstanding English Language Proficiency requirements as part of their conditions of admission for their graduate studies program.
- International students must have a valid study permit. You must ensure that the study permit has not expired or will not expire during the period of the teaching assistantship. Please see GSPA's update your immigration status website for more information regarding renewal of study permits or immigration status changes.
If you are a new student you may wish to consider your first TA experience in your second or third term rather than in your first term when you are adjusting to the academic workload of graduate level courses under the time commitment required of a teaching assistant.
As a teaching assistant, you would be required to be available during the following timelines:
Your exact duties will be assigned to you by the faculty member instructing the course. They may include marking and delivering tutorials for undergraduate or graduate courses. It is expected that your responsibilities and preparation for these duties would require an estimated 130 hours for the duration of the four months of the term. Make sure you check the university course schedules to ensure your availability for this commitment.
(Also see Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs awards and funding pagefor further details on graduate teaching assistantships)
How to apply
- Complete the ExpecTAtions workshop offered by the Faculty of Engineering in the spring, fall or winter terms.
- Carefully review the term courses.
- Use this link to apply (requires WatIam login).
The deadline to apply (for Spring 2024) is March 10th at 11:59pm
After the application period is closed the department will review all applications and successful candidates will be notified by the department via email.
FAQ
(please read through the FAQ section and handbook, most questions regarding TA's can be answered through these)
How many hours can I work as a TA, and what do I need to do if I exceed those hours?
RE: Graduate Student Employment Hours
According to the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training, universities can employ full-time graduate students for up to twenty hours per week. The University of Waterloo’s guidelines for graduate student support specify “through the university, full-time students can accept on average at most twenty hours of paid employment per week, unless the employment is directly related to their degree programs. The twenty-hour maximum applies to the total time required for Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant duties.”
There is no opportunity for “overtime”. The TA weight that you are hired for is the work you are committing to do. You will not be compensated for any extra work. If you have any concerns about your workload, contact your course instructor and the TA officer as soon as possible.
Please note that if you are a full-time student and your total employment is expected to exceed 10 hours/week, you must seek and document approval using the Employment Approval Form. You will be required to submit this completed form, with all necessary signatures (which includes your supervisor and co-supervisor’s signatures), to the hiring department.
Even though full-time graduate students may pursue employment through the University of Waterloo that exceeds 10 hours per week on average (but does not exceed 20 hours per week, on average, each term), it is important that an open conversation between a student and their supervisor (Graduate Officer/Chair or Program Director) has taken place so that expectations, workload, and academic progression are factored into the decision-making. For more information, please see the following links:
What is the ExpecTAtions workshop, when does it take place?
RE: Expectations workshop
The ExpecTAtions workshop is one of the requirements that students must complete to be a TA in the Faculty of Engineering. It is organized by the Faculty of Engineering Graduate Studies Office (Tracey Solomon) every semester.
Brenna Costa is responsible for informing the Graduate Students in our department of when ExpecTAtions workshops are taking place and how to register for them. It is the student’s responsibility to register and complete the required workshops to obtain their ExpecTAtions certificate.
Students only need to complete the ExpecTAtions workshop ONCE to participate as a TA. If you are looking to apply for an upcoming term and have not completed the workshop that is okay, if you have the intent of completing the workshop when it becomes available for the upcoming term.
Why have I not heard about applying for a TAship, why can I not apply yet?
RE: Matriculation in the Fall semesters
Every semester we have new students that join our programs. When accepting an offer to your program you are given conditions you must meet to accept your offer and attend your program. This means that you must meet all the criteria and conditions to be matriculated as a U Waterloo student. It is important that once you are informed you are eligible to set up your U Waterloo email address, it is crucial that you do so to prevent yourself from missing the opportunity to apply and or see relevant information.
You cannot apply for a TAship and will not be contacted to apply until you have met all your conditions.
Please visit these links for more information:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for New Students:
https://uwaterloo.ca/graduate-studies-postdoctoral-affairs/new-students/frequently-asked-questions-faqs-new-students
After you’ve accepted your offer of Admission:
https://uwaterloo.ca/graduate-studies-postdoctoral-affairs/new-students#Accepted