Graduate students can be appointed to teaching, research, and staff positions. Graduate and undergraduate students may assist faculty members as Readers to evaluate papers and examinations, or as Tutors to provide tutorial assistance to groups of students or individual students. Both undergraduates and graduates can be appointed to staff positions in the Student Assistant staff series.

Some student titles are covered by a collective bargaining agreement with the United Auto Workers and are called Academic Student Employees (ASE). They include Graduate Student Instructors, Acting Instructor-Graduate Students, Readers, Tutors, Community Teaching Fellows, and Nursery School Assistants.

The main student teaching title is Graduate Student Instructor (GSI). The Acting Instructor-Graduate Student (AI-GS) title is reserved for graduate students who have sole responsibility for an upper-division course. Acting Instructor-Graduate Students may be appointed only with prior approval from the Graduate Division and the Committee on Courses of the Academic Senate. For more information about appointing students as Acting Instructors-Graduate Students, contact Graduate Division Appointments at gradappt@berkeley.edu or call 642-7101. As graduate students develop as teachers and make progress toward their degrees, they may advance in step and salary.

Information about GSI and AI-GS appointments is available at the Graduate Division’s website: “What You Need to Know About Being a GSI, GSR, Reader or Tutor” (PDF) and “Guide to Graduate Policy – Chapter H: Academic Appointments.”

For more information about working with GSIs, see “How can I help Graduate Student Instructors improve their teaching?” and the Graduate Council Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of GSIs. The campus also offers training and resources through the Student Learning Center for undergraduates facilitating student-initiated courses (Special Studies 98/198). Workshops, a seminar for credit, individual consultations, and web-based resources are available through this program.

The research title for graduate students is Graduate Student Researcher (GSR). There is no comparable title for undergraduates. Consult “What You Need to Know About Being a GSI, GSR, Reader or Tutor” (PDF) for more information about this job title.

Appointment of a university student may not exceed half-time during the academic year in any combination of university titles without prior exception. For more information on student job titles, consult with your department.

last updated on 3/21/07