Graduate TA Positions

Below, you will find information about and instructions on how to apply for a graduate TA position in the Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. Please read carefully.

Grad TA applicants fall into one of the three categories listed below. Please see the information specific to your applicant type.

CSE PhD Graduate students (also non-CSE grads advised by CSE faculty):

If you haven't done so already, please talk with your advisor as soon as possible about your funding situation and whether you will need a TA position in the upcoming quarter. Any CSE PhD graduate student who will not have a full RA appointment or other funding in the fall quarter should submit a TA application. If you might need a TA position (e.g. you're still trying to secure an RA position), you should still fill out a TA application which can be withdrawn anytime before the application withdrawal deadline. If your situation is unsettled and/or you need additional time, please contact the TA Coordinator. For non-CSE grads who are advised by Allen School faculty, TA positions will by considered on a case-by-case basis however these students should first look to their own department for funding options.

Two types of grad TA appointments are available:

  • A "full-time" (20 hours/week) Grad TA appointment: This is the most common type of grad TA appointment and should be selected when a TA appointment will be your sole source of funding in a quarter.
  • A "half-time" (10 hours/week) Grad RA/TA appointment: This option should only be selected by grads who already have another source of funding (e.g. RA, Fellowship) available. Students might choose a half-time appointment in situations where they have pre-existing funding but wish to fulfill their TA requirement or else when (after consultation with their faculty adviser) a half-time option is deemed more appropriate.

Students who have the flexibility to accept either the full-time or half-time TA option will be able to indicate so in the application.

CSE BS/MS students:

CSE BS/MS students at the graduate level are encouraged to apply for TA positions (be sure to select the "Grad TA" option if you will have grad student status in the quarter you are applying). While TA positions have never been guaranteed, historically, nearly all BS/MS students who have applied have received TA assignments. Beginning in winter quarter 2025, we will begin phasing in a new 3-quarter limit of grad TA assignments for BS/MS students. After 3 quarters as a grad TA, BS/MS students will be deprioritized during the TA application/assignment process and will receive a TA position only under exceptional circumstances such as unexpected open positions or to fill a specific course need.

For winter quarter 2025, this new 3-quarter limit will apply to BS/MS grad students who started the Master’s program in Autumn 2023 or earlier and have been assigned as a TA at the *graduate* level for 3 or more quarters.

Non-CSE Graduate students:

While graduate students from other departments can apply for quarterly CSE TA appointments, they will be given lower priority due to funding commitments made to CSE grad students and the anticipated large number of CSE applicants . We expect the number of TA positions given to non-CSE graduate students to be extremely limited and only offered when a CSE student is unavailable.


VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL CSE GRAD STUDENTS:

When you submit a TA application, you are committing to an winter quarter TA assignment unless you withdraw your application by the withdrawal deadline (Friday, November 1, 5:00 PM) or request additional time. To withdraw your application, go to the TA Candidate Dashboard of the TA website and select the option to withdraw your application or else contact the TA Coordinator if the application has closed.

After the November 1 deadline, all CSE grad students (PhD and BS/MS) with an active TA application are assumed to be committed to an winter TA assignment AND MAY NOT WITHDRAW FROM THEIR TA ASSIGNMENT WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL FROM THE TA COORDINATOR. Students (and faculty) should NOT assume that withdrawal requests will be approved after this deadline.

Graduate TA job offer/appointment letters will start being sent shortly after the deadline while the TA course assignments are in progress. Appointment letters may have the course assignment listed as "TBD" (to be determined) and will be updated once the TA assignments have been finalized.


Application and Course Assignment Process:

There are three steps:

  1. Students fill out and submit an application form and express their preferences by ranking courses.
  2. Instructors review applications and express their preferences by ranking applicants.
  3. The CSE TA Coordinator finalizes the TA assignments based on instructor and TA applicant preferences, with the goal of meeting the needs of all our courses, while giving as many applicants and instructors their top choices as possible.

Applicants may be assigned to any CSE course for which we believe you are qualified. While most will be assigned to one of their preferred courses, this cannot always be guaranteed. You are strongly advised to submit preferences for multiple courses in the event your top choice is unavailable.

Application Instructions

  • Go to the TA application website and sign in with your UW NetID: https://ta.cs.washington.edu/apply/
  • You should now see a page with your "TA Candidate Dashboard".  Click the "Apply" button which will take you to the application page.
  • In the Basic information section, you should see your name displayed; "TA type" refers to *your* student status (not the level of course you wish to be a TA for). All graduate student applicants should select one of the grad TA options--most commonly the "Grad TA" selection. Only select the "Grad RA/TA" option if you have another source of funding (RA, grant, fellowship, etc.) to supplement this TA assignment giving you a "full" (~20 hours/week) grad appointment.
  • In the Personal statement section, you may describe why you would like to be a TA and/or what outside experience you have. This is not required; rather the purpose is for you to provide any information you'd like instructors and/or the TA Coordinator to know when considering you for a TA position.  This information is particularly helpful if you are a first-time applicant or non-CSE student.  You should also use this space to include additional information about your course preferences/rankings or any prior arrangements you have made with a course instructor regarding an assignment.  Graduate students from other majors can also provide links to their CV or undergrad transcript information if available.  
  • In the Course category preferences section, indicate your general preferences for the various course areas. 
  • Finally, in the Individual course preferences section, you can indicate your TA preference rankings for individual courses.  Simply give whichever course you would prefer to be assigned to a higher ranking preference from 1 to 5 (with 5 being most preferred) and rank any other courses relative to that (or the same if you have an equal preference).  Also, if you are unable to TA for a course due to a schedule time conflict (i.e. you are unable to attend any of that course's lectures OR the weekly course staff meeting), please check the schedule conflict checkbox in the first column.
  • Click the Submit button and you're all done! You may return to this page and make changes at anytime during the open application period.

Additional Notes

  • All students who intend to TA in a given quarter need to submit an application. This includes students who have pre-arranged or confirmed a TA assignment with a specific instructor.
  • We do NOT know that enrollments will be high enough to warrant a TA in all the classes listed on the application each quarter. Just because a course is listed as an option does not mean a TA will be assigned to it.
  • Introductory Programming Courses (CSE 12x/14x): TA positions for the large introductory programming courses (CSE 12x/14x) are assigned primarily to undergraduate students. Graduate students who have a strong interest in computer science education and/or teaching are encouraged to contact the TA Coordinator for information about potential TA opportunities with these courses.
  • Due to their large number, scheduled quiz sections offered with most CSE 100-level and 300-level courses have not been included on the TA application but a complete listing can be found on the winter quarter time schedule page.
  • TAs are expected to be on campus and ready to work from the first day of class through the completion of finals grading. Contact the instructor as soon as possible about any time that you will need off or if you have any questions about the dates in which you will need to be available.
  • A weekly TA training seminar is offered each quarter on Thursdays, 4:30-5:20 PM, for students who are selected to TA and who will be teaching for the first time. It is strongly recommended for any TA who has not participated previously, even if this is not your first time as a TA.

APPLICATION CONTACT:

Pim Lustig
pl@cs.washington.edu 

 

This job classification is governed by a negotiated labor contract and is subject to union shop provisions. For more information about union shop provisions, visit: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/jobs/apl/union-info.html

The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206.543.6450 / 206.543.6452 (tty) or dso@u.washington.edu.

Academic Student Employees working at the University of Washington should be aware of the University's non-discrimination and harassment policies.

FERPA Acknowledgment: TA Information Release

By choosing to apply for a Teaching Assistant (TA) position with the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, I understand that if I am hired, certain information associated with my TA appointment, which is part of my education record under FERPA , will be published in various online locations. As a result, this information may be visible to CSE instructors and staff outside of my course, the greater university community, and, in some instances, the general public. The published information may include any combination of my name, school email address, photo, the course(s) and section number(s) to which I am assigned, and my status as an undergraduate or graduate. Online locations may include time schedules, course websites, instructional dashboards, and other course-related resources.

I also understand that (1) I have the right to inquire further about the release of this information. (2) I have the right to request a specific exception. (3) I have the right not to consent to the release of any information where I can be identified as a TA. (4) I have the right to revoke this consent in writing, delivered directly to the CSE Course Coordinator/TA Advisor, with the knowledge that any subsequent revocation of this consent shall not affect information shared by the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington prior to the receipt of my written revocation of consent.