Graduate assistantships
Students in the M.S.Ed. program gain experience in higher education and student affairs through graduate assistantship or internship positions, full-time positions, and practicum placements. Without this essential practical experience, students would miss out on the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom.
Applicants who are not already working in higher education or student affairs as a bachelor-level professional must be hired into a 20-hr/week assistantship or internship at UW La Crosse, one of our partner institutions, or another institution of higher education. As part of the admissions process, we arrange interviews for both the academic program and graduate student internship/assistantship roles. Students do not have to submit separate applications for each cohort or position of interest.
Applications for Summer/Fall 2022 now open, apply by Feb 1
The admissions process for our master's program includes placement in a graduate assistantship (GA) / graduate student internship (GSI) for those who aren't working in the field at least half-time already. Typically, such students will interview for 3-8 different GA/GSI roles as part of the selection process, and if an offer is made to the academic program, the offer includes the top GA/GSI match, reflecting student and employer interests.
- A graduate assistantship typically consists of 20 hours per week with a 9-month salary starting at $11,747 for the 22-23 academic year (though different institutions and employers have different stipends and benefits)
- Per UWL Graduate Studies policy, incoming students must have a minimum 2.85 GPA to be eligible to apply for a GA position at UWL.
- Graduate assistants at UWL are eligible for health insurance benefits. For more information, view the benefits at a glance.
- Graduate student interns at other campuses may have access to other compensation/benefits, so we encourage students to review job descriptions carefully as they are posted.
We typically start posting job descriptions around December 1, and will ask applicants to verify their GA/GSI position interests during the selection process. Students are welcome to see other field experiences in their local area if they are not interested in the placements we make available in La Crosse and with our partners.
2022-2023 Positions
The list of positions below will be updated throughout the fall semester.
Confirmed openings (as of 10/18/21):
- UW La Crosse
- Academic Advising Center (2 positions)
- Academic Advising - College of Science & Health
- Center for Transformative Justice
- Diversity & Inclusion
- FYRE (First Year Research Exposure)- College of Science and Health
- McNair Scholars
- Pride Center
- Residence Life
- Upward Bound
- UW Eau Claire
- UW River Falls
- Viterbo
- Housing and Residence Life- Please note, this position does not meet the half-time field experience requirement, but may be combined with non-residence life positions at UWL or elsewhere.
Anticipated/Possible openings:
- Priority partners (eligible for need-based aid, SAA candidates prioritized in process):
- UW La Crosse - Student Affairs Administration
- UW Stout - Residence Life, Student Activities
- Western Technical College - Residence Life
- Chippewa Valley Technical College - TRIO programs
- Affiliate partners (will consider once our priority partners' hiring needs met)
- UW Milwaukee - Residence Life
- UW Stevens Point - Residential Life
Past positions have also included roles at UW Green Bay, Lawrence University, Hennepin Technical College, and in offices ranging from financial aid to campus activities to dean of students.
See below for more information on the campuses and positions that were available for 2021-2022. These videos may be updated before February 1, 2022 for those interested in 2022-2023 roles, but remain available until then to those interested in learning more about general functional areas and our partner campuses.