Graduate Assistantship Information

The Department of Health Education and Recreation awards master's assistantships for 9 months and doctoral assistantships for 18 months if the student is making satisfactory progress toward a degree. If students continue their degree programs beyond the Department limits, they are encouraged to seek assistantships from other sources within the University community including the Wellness Center, Learning Resources Center, Project Achieve, College of Applied Sciences and Arts, Student Recreation Center, Women's Services, and a variety of other locations on campus. The University allows a total of 48 months of support for Ph.D. students and 24 months for master's students. 

Students on 1/2 time assistantships must carry a minimum of 6 hours and may carry a maximum of 12 hours each semester. Any exceptions must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Graduate students must be enrolled in 400 and 500 level credit work and Audit work will not count toward minimum requirements. 

Students on teaching assistantships in health education are responsible for teaching in our basic health course, HED 101 (Foundations of Human Health), or in HED 334 (First Aid and CPR). Assignments will be based on a person's teaching background and experience. As the assistantship is a half-time appointment, the time commitment is 20 hours per week which includes class teaching time, preparation time, office hours, and other related activities. Students on graduate assistantships in recreation will be assigned to assist with recreation courses and supervise fieldwork experiences. 

Orientation 

All graduate assistants are required to attend an orientation prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester each academic year. Generally one to two days in length, the orientation is designed to acquaint GAs with the policies, procedures and guidelines involved in the teaching process; to give them an opportunity to meet returning GAs and faculty/staff of the Department; to familiarize them with facilities, equipment, and resources; and to allow them to ask questions and generally become comfortable with their surroundings. 

Department Seminars 

All departmental graduate assistants will meet as a group three or four times each semester from 10:00 to 11:50 a.m. on Friday to discuss issues such as advising and grading, improving communication skills, cultural diversity, disabled student support, etc.  

Application Process 

To be considered for a graduate assistantship in the Department of Health Education and Recreation, a person must first have applied for admission to the Department and be fully admissible. 

For those applicants to the health education program, a letter of application is required along with a statement of teaching philosophy. 

For those applicants to the recreation program, a letter of application is required. 

Address application letter to: 

Dr. Mark Kittleson, Director of Graduate Programs 
Department of Health Education and Recreation 
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 
Mailcode 4632 
Carbondale, IL 62901-4632