Graduate Assistant Application

Thank you for your interest in Graduate Assistant (GA) position in the Department of Information Systems and Analytics (ISA), McCoy College of Business (McCoy), Texas State University (TXST). The Applications are  Closed  for the Spring 2025 Semester . 

Eligibility

ISA department hires graduate students enrolled in the M.S. in Data Analytics and Information Systems (MSDAIS) program. To be eligible for a position: 

• The student must submit their application by the application deadline announced for the semester for which the positions are available.
• The applicant must be a TXST student with a valid TXST email and student ID.
• The applicant must be enrolled in the MSDAIS program for the semester(s) they are applying for a GA position.
• The applicant must be enrolled in 9 credit hours to be eligible. 
  • Note: A one-time exemption form is required for all graduate students enrolled in fewer than 9 credit hours. International students must also secure approval from both the Graduate College and the International Student and Scholar Services Office (ISSS).
• The applicant must be able to officially work as a GA.

Positions

GA positions are typically 10 hours per week or 20 hours per week. Types of GA roles are described below. A student can be assigned one or more of these roles.

• Graduate Research Assistant (GRA): A GRA is assigned to conduct research with faculty member(s) of ISA department. A GRA position can be for 10 hours or 20 hours per week. It is strongly recommended that an applicant for a GRA position contacts potential faculty member(s) and prepare a research plan. A GRA can be required to complete some or all their assigned tasks/time by being physically in the ISA department’s computer labs located in McCoy Hall, San Marcos.
• Graduate Instructional Assistant (GIA): A GIA is assigned to work with faculty member(s) on instructional tasks including but not limited to timely grading assignments, tutoring/holding study sessions, preparing supplementary course materials, proctoring exams/tests. The GIA positions are for undergraduate courses. A GIA position can be for 10 hours or 20 hours per week. A GIA can be required to complete some or all their assigned tasks/time by being physically in the ISA department’s computer labs located in McCoy Hall, San Marcos.
• Graduate Lab Assistant (GLA): A GLA is typically assigned to work with the ISA department’s system administrator or department office on tasks related to the ISA department’s computer labs. A GLA position can be for 10 hours or 20 hours per week. A GLA is required to be physically in the ISA department’s computer labs or department office located in McCoy Hall, San Marcos.

A student can be assigned to one or more of the following with total hours per week not exceeding 20: GRA for10 hours/week, GRA for 20 hours per week, GIA for 10 hours/week, GIA for 20 hours/week, GLA for 10 hours/week, GLA for 20 hours/week. As noted above, GIA and GRA positions may require physically being in the ISA department’s computer labs. GLA positions require physically being in the ISA department’s computer labs. For example, a student can be assigned 10 hours for a GRA role and 10 hours for a GIA role such that they need to be physically in one of the ISA department’s computer labs for 10 hours.

Contract Length and Responsibilities

GA positions are for one semester at 10 hours per week or 20 hours per week (in some cases, other assignments can be considered). The number of available GA positions is subject to change for each semester. As such, a student should not assume that, once they get a GA position for a semester, they will get a GA position for the following semester(s). An assigned GA position can be terminated at any time at the discretion of the ISA department.

It is expected that GAs will perform the tasks they are assigned by their supervisors (either faculty members or department administrators) in a timely manner. The ISA department will regularly check with the supervisors to evaluate a GA’s performance. The GAs who are required to be physically in the ISA department's computer labs will coordinate with the department administrators to schedule their hours and report their times to the department.

Application and Hiring Process

Applications for GA positions will be submitted through the application portal. Application portal will typically open around 1 month before the start of the semester and will typically close around 2 weeks before the semester. The following information and documents should be submitted in the application:

• Student Information (required): Student ID #, TXST email address (no other email address will be considered), the student’s address, the semester the student started or will start the MSDAIS program, the semester the student is expected to finish the MSDAIS program, number of courses the student will take during the semester of the ISA GA position applied for, previous/on-going ISA GA positions held by the applicant, information of any other GA positions the student will have at TXST during the semester of the ISA GA position applied for, and any other scholarships to be received during the semester of the ISA GA position applied for.
• Positions to Apply (required): An applicant will select which position(s) they are applying for and how many hours they can work for each position. There are 6 options: 10 hours GRA, 20 hours GRA, 10 hours GIA, 20 hours GIA, 10 hours GLA, and 20 hours GLA. An applicant can select one, multiple, or all these options depending on their preference and availability. For instance, if the student is not going to accept any position that is not 20 hours, then 10 hours options should not be selected or if the student is not going to accept GIA roles, GIA options should not be selected during the application process.
• Resume (required): Resume should be 3-pages maximum and submitted in pdf format. Applicant’s resume should detail their educational background (undergraduate and graduate degrees, including MSDAIS program, with start and (expected) end dates for each degree), professional experience and/or projects completed and/or certifications achieved, list of related courses taken during each degree, list of related programming and software knowledge.
• Research Plan (required if applying for GRA role): A research plan should be at most 300 words, and it should explain the applicant’s plan for conducting research. For GRA roles, it is strongly recommended that the student has contacted the potential faculty member(s) and discussed their research topic and plans to carry out during the semester; and based on such discussion, they should write their research plan. In case the student made plans to work with ISA faculty member(s), the student should list the name(s) of the faculty member(s). If an applicant plans to work with more than one faculty member, then they should discuss their plans with each faculty member. Having discussed with a faculty member for conducting research does not guarantee a GRA assignment. An applicant can still apply for GRA role even without making plans with an ISA faculty member.
• Instructional Assistance Plan (required if applying for GIA role). An instructional assistance plan should be at most 300 words, and it should explain the applicant’s plan for being a GIA. The plan can explain the applicant’s compatibility to be a GIA for one or more of the undergraduate courses during the semester and their discussion with the instructors prior to the application. In the case the applicant has communicated with an instructor, the instructor’s name and the potential course the applicant would be assisting should be listed. Having discussed with a faculty member for instructional assistance does not guarantee a GIA assignment. An applicant can still apply for GIA role even without making plans with an ISA faculty member.

The applicants received will be available for review by the ISA faculty members. An ISA faculty might provide feedback about an applicant and/or they might interview applicants for a GA position. Based on the applicant’s availability, preferences, qualifications, faculty feedback and the availability of funding, applicants will be selected and assigned GA roles.

The assignments will be communicated with the selected applicants as soon as possible, typically around the beginning of the semester. A selected applicant will need to respond in two days whether they accept the offered assignments and will work with the ISA department administrators to complete the paperwork required to start the position in a timely manner. In case a selected applicant fails to provide the required paperwork within a reasonable time depending on the schedule of the tasks for the position, the offered position might be cancelled. Once the hiring process is finalized, the GA will start working on the tasks assigned by their supervisors. 

For further information and policies about graduate assistantship positions at TXST, please refer to Graduate Assistantships: The Graduate College : Texas State University (txst.edu).

By clicking ‘Start Application’ below, I declare that I have read and understood the above information about the ISA GA positions and application process. 

***THE ISA DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY NOT TAKING APPLICATIONS*** - An email will be sent out to all MSDAIS STUDENTS in AUGUST