FIRST, A NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
You won’t be able to register for classes without checking in with a representative of the International Student and Scholar Services Office. You will need to bring to that Check-in proof of legal visa status, including passport, visa, I-94 card, all I-20 forms (F visa holders), all DS-2019 forms (J visa holders) and I-797 Approval Notice, if applicable.
Check-in Dates are posted on the ISSSO web site at: http://www.issso.uh.edu/arrivalinfo/index.html
Additional check-in dates will be announced during the summer.
For questions, please contact Anita Gaines, Director of International Student and Scholar Services Office at againes@uh.edu or call her at 713-743-5071.
Details of your appointment as an Instructional Assistant
Students accepted for any Bauer College of Business Ph.D. program are offered an appointment as an Instructional Assistant unless your application has stated that you are not requesting financial aid. The appointment as an Instructional Assistant will begin at the start of the fall semester. Eligibility for these appointments include continuous full time enrollment (at least 9 credit hours) during the fall and spring semesters. In order to continue receiving the compensation associated with these appointments during the summer, students must enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours during one of the summer sessions.
The basic stipend for a 20 hour per week half-time appointment is $2100 per month based on a 12 month year. All eligible students accepted into Bauer are also nominated for a University-sponsored fellowship that, if awarded, pays an additional $3600 per year for a student’s first two years. Many students then supplement these stipends with teaching compensation but programs within the college differ in terms of how much students are expected and/or allowed to teach. You will be paid monthly, and your appointment is renewable, assuming satisfactory performance. You will be expected to be available in the department that houses your Ph.D. program one week before the beginning of the semester. A college-level Ph.D. welcome session will be held prior to the beginning of the fall semester and you'll need to see your department's administrator and complete all necessary paper work.
Your appointment as an Instructional Assistant will also qualify you for the Graduate Assistant Tuition Fellowship. This fellowship will reimburse you for the cost of 9 hours of tuition per semester paid at the graduate student credit hour rate. Continued eligibility for this fellowship will be contingent upon meeting the fellowship eligibility criteria. You will, however, be responsible for University mandatory fees and any course fees. Basic health insurance is also available to each graduate student. For further information regarding this benefit, please contact your department administrator.
A student accepting an appointment as an Instructional Assistant cannot participate in any other form of paid employment during the nine-month academic year. Failure to abide by this regulation may result in the loss of your financial support and may be a violation of visa requirements for foreign nationals. Those without visa restrictions are, however, free to accept paid employment during any summer, although you will not have tuition reimbursed nor will you be paid if you do so.
First-year Instructional Assistants from a non-native English speaking country are required to demonstrate proficiency in spoken English by successfully passing the SPEAK or TSE examination during the first semester. We encourage you to engage in intensive spoken English studies in the months ahead as preparation for these tests and your later teaching duties at the University of Houston. Students may also demonstrate English speaking skills if they have completed baccalaureate requirements at a regionally accredited U.S. institution. Failure to pass this examination may disqualify you for the tuition fellowships and at the end of the second semester will result in the loss of financial support. Cost for the examination or additional English language study is the responsibility of the student. A review of the progress of all Instructional Assistants will be made at the end of each semester to determine eligibility for continued support. Supported students are expected to enroll as full-time students with nine credit hours of course work per fall and spring semester, and no fewer than six hours during the summer. Students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA to qualify for tuition fellowships and continued graduate appointment support.
We also want to advise you that because of the tuition reimbursement policy of the State of Texas, the University of Houston charges non-resident tuition rates to all doctoral students, regardless of resident status, who have 100 or more doctoral semester credit hours. If your progress requires that you take more than 99 hours, you will be subject to tuition payments at the out-of-state rate and will most likely have exhausted all your eligibility for tuition fellowships. Thus, it is critical that you work closely with your faculty advisors to complete your studies in fewer than 100 doctoral credit hours.
