Student Employment
Student Employment jgastley3 Sun, 06/03/2012 - 09:57Eligibility for Student Employment
Eligibility for Student EmploymentIn support of the Institute’s strategic value Students are our Top Priority, this policy provides campus departments with employment guidance by detailing the eligibility parameters for students to be hired as student employees of the Institute.
Degree seeking students currently enrolled at Georgia Tech, and previously enrolled students taking only a one or two semester break from classes, are eligible for student employment at the Institute. In specific instances, a student enrolled at another University System of Georgia (USG) school may be eligible to be employed in a student position at Georgia Tech (see Student Assistant section below). The eligibility rules for specific student employee positions depend on the type of position and the student’s status as a graduate, undergraduate, Federal Work Study (“FWS”) student, Resident Assistant (“RA”), or President’s Undergraduate Research Award (“PURA”) recipient. Student employee positions are considered temporary and non-benefits eligible. Georgia Tech will comply with all federal, state, and local laws regarding the employment of USG students.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students are eligible for several types of student positions. Click here to view undergraduate job codes and associated pay groups.
Student Assistant
Students actively enrolled at Georgia Tech, or another University System of Georgia (USG) school, are eligible to be employed at Georgia Tech in a Student Assistant position. Previously enrolled Georgia Tech and USG students taking only a one or two semester break from classes are also eligible for Student Assistant positions.
Most Student Assistants are in a student pay group and employment is limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week. In certain situations, a student may be eligible to be hired as a Student Assistant in a temporary pay group for a maximum of 40 hours per week. Note: Student Assistant in temporary pay group 03C is the only student job-code/pay-group combination where a student may be employed more than 20 hours per week. For eligibility details see Registration, Courseload and Allowable Employment Hours section below.
Resident Assistant
Students in Resident Assistant (RA) positions must be full-time degree-seeking Georgia Tech students selected by the Department of Housing and Residence Life. Learn more here.
Student Assistant - PURA
Only Georgia Tech student recipients of President’s Undergraduate Research Award (PURA) salary awards are eligible to be employed in Student Assistant- PURA positions. Learn more about PURA here.
Federal Work-Study (FWS)
Only Georgia Tech student recipients of a Federal Work-Study Award administered by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid are eligible to be employed in FWS positions. Learn more here.
Graduate Students
Graduate students are eligible for several types of student positions. Click here to view a list of graduate student job codes and associated pay groups.
Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) and Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
Only Georgia Tech graduate students registered for full-time coursework (12+ credit hours) are eligible for GRA and GTA positions. Eligible students must be hired in these roles for a 33-50% FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) workload. Refer to the Graduate Student Enrollment and Employment policy to learn more.
Graduate Assistant – Monthly
Only Georgia Tech graduate students concurrently employed as either a GRA or GTA are eligible for Graduate Assistant- Monthly positions. These positions are only used to facilitate additional Graduate Assistant workload on top of a GRA or GTA position (e.g., a second campus job with a different department).
Graduate Assistant – Hourly
Only enrolled Georgia Tech graduate students satisfying minimum enrollment requirements, and not concurrently employed in a monthly-paid position, are eligible to hold Graduate Assistant-Hourly positions.
International Students
International students with valid F-1 or J-1 student status issued by Georgia Tech are eligible to work on campus as student employees. F-1s must have a Georgia Tech I-20; J-1s must have a Georgia Tech DS-2019.
International Students in lawful F-1 and J-1 status may work more than 20 hours per week during school holidays and breaks. See Holidays and Short School Breaks section below.
New Students
New Georgia Tech students cannot begin working in a student job until the start of the pay period that includes the first day of classes during their first enrolled semester. Pay periods are monthly or biweekly depending on position. See GT Payroll for pay period dates.
Registration, Courseload and Allowable Employment Hours
Students who are registered for half-time or greater courseload are eligible to be employed for a maximum of 20 hours per week (all GT jobs combined) and must be employed in a student job code and in a student pay group. (This excludes students registered for only Co-Op/Internship credit hours with GT as the employer – see Co-Ops/Internships at Georgia Tech section.) A half-time courseload is considered 6 credit hours for undergraduates and 3 credit hours for graduate students.
Student who are registered for less than half-time credit load (or registered for only Co-Op or Internship credit hours) may be hired for up to 40 hours per week (all GT jobs combined). A less than half-time credit load is less than 6 credit hours for undergraduates and less than 3 credit hours for graduate students.
Previously enrolled students, who are temporarily not registered for any credit hours for only one or two semesters, may also be hired for up to 40 hours per week. However, any student employment exceeding 20 hours per week (up to a maximum of 40 hours per week) must be in a Student Assistant position and cannot be in a student pay group.
Co-Ops/Internships at Georgia Tech
An enrolled USG student in the designated work semester of a Co-Op or Internship program with Georgia Tech as the employer, and registered for only Co-op or Internship credit hours, is eligible to be employed for up to 40 hours per week. (The 40-hour per week employment cannot be in a student pay group; therefore, a Co-Op or Internship student working more than 20 hours per week should be employed as a Student Assistant in temporary pay group 03C.)
Holidays and Short School Breaks
Most student employees are eligible to be employed and continue working in their existing positions, with their supervisor’s approval, during school breaks of less than five weeks (e.g., winter break, spring break, campus holidays). Notable exceptions include Student Assistant-PURA and FWS employees. PURA recipients are only allowed to work during the semester of their award (not between semesters). FWS employees are only allowed to work when classes are in session (not during holidays or official school breaks).
While classes are not in session, during a school break less than 5 weeks, eligible hourly student employees (hired for 20 hours or less) are, with supervisor approval, allowed to work and report hours in excess of 20 hours per week (up to 40 hours per week) without the need to change their pay group or official employment hours. This applies to both US and International students.
Graduation Considerations
A student who has graduated and is not continuing enrollment toward another USG degree, is not eligible to continue working in a student position.
United States Citizen and Permanent Resident graduating students can work in student positions only until the last day of the pay period that includes their graduation (i.e., the last day of the month or the last day of the bi-weekly pay period depending on position pay frequency).
Graduating F-1 and J-1 student visa holders can work in a student position only until their SEVIS program end date. The end date is printed on the I-20 or DS-2019.
A student who is graduating and continuing toward another USG degree may be eligible to be hired as a Student Assistant in temporary pay group 03C during a semester break between degree programs. Contact the Student Employment team in GT Human Resources to determine eligibility (email student-employment@gatech.edu).
Employment Status
Student employees are considered "at-will" employees. Their employment is temporary and incidental to the pursuit of a degree. Student employees may be terminated at any time without the right to appeal.
Non-USG Students
Individuals enrolled at non-USG schools are not eligible to be hired into GT student employee positions.
This policy applies to all student employees and the GT departments that hire them.
Enrolled
Currently registered for one or more credit hours at Georgia Tech (or another USG school).
GT Human Resources – Student Employment
Student Employment is responsible for the overall administration of this policy, and for providing general student employment eligibility guidance. https://hr.gatech.edu/student-employment
Office of Graduate Education
Graduate Education is responsible for providing guidance specific to the employment eligibility of graduate students, including credit hours and FTE requirements. https://grad.gatech.edu/hiring-supervision
Office of International Education (OIE)
The International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) unit in OIE is responsible for the issuance of F and J student status to international students attending Georgia Tech. https://isss.oie.gatech.edu/
Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
The Federal Work Study unit within Scholarships and Financial Aid is responsible for administering Federal Work Study awards and determining student and job eligibility for Work Study positions. https://finaid.gatech.edu/undergraduate-types-aid/federal-work-study
The Office of Undergraduate Education - Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate Research is responsible for student eligibility, rules and application procedures for the President’s Undergraduate Research Award (PURA) recipients. https://undergradresearch.gatech.edu/pura-salary
Department of Housing and Residence Life
Housing is responsible for determining the qualifications and application process to select students to be employed as Resident Assistants (RAs). https://housing.gatech.edu/reslife/employment
Individuals who are not eligible to be employed in student positions will be denied student employment – but may potentially be hired in other (non-student) positions. Any student employee who loses eligibility for their position, or who was hired in error (without eligibility), will have their employment terminated.
Hour Loads for Graduate Students
Hour Loads for Graduate StudentsThe following general policies are provided to serve as guidelines for determining the hourly workloads of students who are pursuing graduate degrees:
- Full-time graduate students are expected to give primary attention to the pursuit of their degrees.
- Graduate students are expected to take semester workloads which will contribute to substantial progress toward a degree.
- Graduate students shall register for a number of hours of research which is consistent with a realistic appraisal of the amount of work to be done on a project, thesis, or dissertation, and the amount of faculty involvement and use of Institute facilities required.
- Realistic accounting for graduate student credit hours helps support a quality graduate program.
Transcript Recognition of Teaching and Research Activity
Students holding graduate teaching or graduate research assistantships may register for courses in recognition of teaching (8997) and research (8998) activities if these courses are available for their school. The 8997 and 8998 courses are audit-base courses. A student may not register for more than a total of 9 hours of 8997 and 8998 during any semester.
Course Load Requirements
The following regulations shall govern the semester registration requirements for students who are pursuing graduate degrees:
- Full-time students must be enrolled for at least 12 credit hours on a letter grade or pass-fail basis. As an exception, the advisor and school chair may allow up to 3 hours out of the 12 minimum to be taken on an audit basis in Fall and Spring semesters; in Summer semesters the advisor and school chair may allow up to 6 hours out of the 12 minimum to be taken on an audit basis. Hours in excess of the required 12 may be taken on any basis. Full-time students working exclusively on thesis research should be registered for 18 or more hours of 7000 or 9000 (Master's or Doctoral Thesis) in Fall and Spring semesters, and for up to 16 hours during Summer semesters.
- The following students must register on a full-time basis as defined above:
- graduate research and teaching assistants
- students supported by fellowships, traineeships, or individual grants
- students with out-of-state tuition waivers
- students assigned to the Institute by the Armed Forces for the purpose of pursuing a degree
- students on student visas
- graduate co-op students on non-work semesters.
- Students involved in thesis research must register for an appropriate number of 7000 or 9000 hours.
- The minimum load for part-time students is 3 credit hours.
- A student may register for only one hour of Master's or Doctoral Thesis (7000 or 9000) during the semester of graduation. This exception may be used once for each degree.
- The maximum allowable semester load for employed students other than graduate assistants is reduced as a function of the number of hours employed per week as follows:
| Workload per week | Maximum semester hour load |
|---|---|
| Full time (40 hours) | 6 |
| 3/4 of full time (30 hours) | 9 |
| 2/3 of full time (27 hours) | 10 |
| 1/2 of full time (20 hours) | 12 |
| 1/3 of full time (13 hours) | 15 |
| 1/4 of full time (10 hours) | 18 (16 for Summer semesters) |
The minimum load for these students is three hours, except as described in Course Load Requirement #5 above, but such students should be encouraged to take the maximum load they can handle in order to progress toward completion of the degree.
Course Selection
Full-time students are expected to enroll for a letter grade in regular courses and thesis hours whenever possible. Registration loads should reflect, as much as possible, the student and faculty efforts involved in the program of study. Registration loads each semester should be comprised of various hours from the areas listed below:
n Regular courses: letter-grade, pass-fail and in special cases, audit;
n 7000 or 9000 courses for thesis students;
n Special problem or research project courses;
n Specific courses for teaching or research education;
n GTA/GRA courses 8997/8998 (up to a maximum of 9) if available in the student's major school and the student has an assistantship.
Guidelines for Registration of Doctoral Dissertation Hours
- Beginning full-time doctoral students, especially those who are research assistants, are encouraged to register for at least 3 hours of 9000. This would allow, and encourage, such students to maintain a lighter academic load to begin laying the groundwork for Ph.D. research.
- Advanced full-time doctoral students who are working primarily on their dissertation research should register for 18 or more hours of 9000 in Fall and Spring semesters, and for up to 16 hours of 9000 for Summer semesters. If they are taking other coursework, the number of 9000 hours would be reduced by the number of formal coursework hours. Students who are required by their school to register for 8997 or 8998 would further reduce the number of 9000 hours, so that the total number of hours is at least 18 (no more than 16 in the Summer). The advisor and/or school determines whether the total is above 18 for Fall and Spring semesters.
- Part-time doctoral students engaged in their research phase for the Ph.D. should register for 9000 consistent with their and their faculty member's activity on the dissertation research.
- All full-time students coded as Master's students but involved in preparation for the Ph.D. are encouraged to register for 9000 consistent with the amount of work involved.
Academic units are encouraged to remove any in-school restrictions on registering for 9000. For example, some schools will not allow a graduate student to register for 9000 until after the student has become a candidate for the Ph.D. degree. The reasoning behind this restriction is not clear unless one takes a very restrictive interpretation of what registering for 9000 means. Academic units are encouraged to adopt a broader interpretation, so that dissertation hours reflect all stages of the doctoral dissertation--literature research, topic selection, experimental/theoretical preparation, research performance, writing, and presentation. All of these stages require Institute facilities and faculty involvement.
The responsibility for advising graduate students properly, not only in regard to programs of study, but also in regard to minimum and maximum semester course loads, rests solely within the chain from advisor/graduate coordinator to school chair to college dean. Although each graduate student is responsible for knowing the requirements for his or her degree and for insuring the appropriate, steady progress is being made toward that degree, each graduate student must have access to fair and equitable advisement. Responsibility for scheduling the proper requirements for a particular program of study and an appropriate course load per semester rests with the student and advisor alike.