{"id":68161,"date":"2020-10-09T11:36:41","date_gmt":"2020-10-09T15:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/?page_id=68161"},"modified":"2026-01-12T13:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T18:24:16","slug":"ta-request","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/faculty-staff\/forms\/ta-request\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Assistant Request Electronic Form"},"content":{"rendered":"

MET provides teaching support for on-campus courses to supplement the activities of the faculty and better allow our faculty to focus on course quality. Teaching assistant support is provided for individual course sections by request on a need-basis, is contingent on the availability of funding, and is not guaranteed.<\/p>\n

Support Allocations:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because the size and kind of courses offered at MET are highly variable, the approved teaching assistant allocation for a course section may range between 3 and 10 hours per week. The allocated hours are based on the instructor\u2019s request for an individual course section, and depend on 1) enrollments, 2) the number and complexity of assignments, and 3) the complexity of content in the course, in addition to the availability of funding. Consideration of these factors allows us to support both large courses and smaller courses with complex needs in an equitable manner. Students may only work up to the number of hours per week that are approved by the deans. Faculty are expected to handle the remainder of any other grading or course preparations. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Based on available funding, the general guidelines for Teaching Assistant allocations in 2025-26 MET on-campus classes are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Enrollments<\/strong><\/td>\nHours\/week<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Up to 19<\/td>\nNo assistant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20 – 24<\/td>\n3 hours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25 – 29<\/td>\n5 hours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30 – 35<\/td>\n7 hours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Over-enrolled courses<\/td>\n10 hours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Any exception from these guidelines requires a Chair\u2019s justification and Dean\u2019s approval and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

Timeline and Process:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Course support requests are highly dependent on course enrollments. As such, allocations are typically not approved until two weeks before classes start<\/strong>, to ensure that decisions are based on relatively stable enrollment numbers. Courses that reach their maximum capacity earlier may be reviewed earlier.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Faculty submit their request for individual course sections via the online form below up to one month before the semester. All requests must be accompanied by a justification for why a TA is needed, including the number of assignments in the course, and the amount and type of work that students enrolled in the class are doing. A detailed justification provides important context for the reviewers and speeds up the processing of the request:\n
      \n
    1. The number and kind of assignments enrolled students are completing<\/li>\n
    2. The responsibilities you would expect a student to cover<\/li>\n
    3. Any unique needs your course has due to its content or activity format<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    4. Department chair or program director reviews the request to ensure the course is eligible for a TA. If the course section has any unusual needs or the request falls outside of the normal allocation guidelines, the chair should provide a comment with that context when approving the request.<\/li>\n
    5. Office of the Dean reviews the request to ensure it meets eligibility criteria.<\/li>\n
    6. Deans review the request and make the final decision on TA support allocation. Their decisions are communicated to the requesting faculty.<\/li>\n
    7. Office of the Dean coordinates with the faculty and MET Finance to set up the selected TA for each request. An appointment letter for the position with the approved start date is sent to the TA, with a copy to their supervising faculty.<\/li>\n
    8. The student reviews appointment letter and returns a signed copy of the agreement to the Dean’s Office prior to starting work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Course Support Activities:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Teaching assistants\u2019 duties can vary depending on the needs of the class and the number of hours of support a course has been allocated. Students may only work up to the number of hours per week that are approved by the deans. Faculty are expected to handle the remainder of any other grading or course preparations.<\/em><\/p>\n

      Types of on-campus course support activities may include, but aren\u2019t limited to:<\/p>\n