Teaching Requirements

EPS Graduate Student Teaching Requirements

Summary:

EPS graduate students should meet both the financial and teaching requirements listed below prior to graduation. These requirements may be met by teaching a minimum of two sections. 

• Financial Requirement: Each EPS graduate student must teach at least two sections as a TF. Graduate students will not see a change in their paycheck during the first two sections they teach. Beginning with the third section, they may receive additional pay for teaching. 

• Teaching Requirement: Each EPS graduate student must teach at least two courses (either one section each of two different courses or two sections of the same course in two different years).

Additionally, graduate students must participate in teaching training. 

• Training Requirement: Before teaching in EPS, graduate students must attend and participate in either:

  • • • First-time TF Training Seminar offered in EPS

      • Recommended workshops offered by the Bok Center

From the EPS Graduate Student Handbook:

All PhD students are required to serve as teaching fellows for at least two sections during their time at Harvard. The two sections should be for two different courses or for the same course in two different years. This requirement ensures that all students have at least some exposure to classroom or laboratory interactions with undergraduates, as teaching will likely be an important aspect of any future career. First-year students may not teach in their first term, but may serve as teaching fellows in the second term when the course material is useful for their own professional training (generally not General Education or introductory classes). Many students teach more than the minimum requirement. In some cases, this additional teaching provides necessary financial support for their research if research grants or fellowships are not available. However, to ensure that teaching does not prohibit satisfactory progress, students are required to petition the GSC if they wish to teach more than two sections in a single academic year.

If a student has received an outside fellowship that permits additional support, he or she may keep the stipend from teaching in addition to the fellowship—even if it is while teaching the two required sections.

Students are required to consult with their faculty advisor regarding when and which courses they should teach, in order to maximize the benefit to their education and training and make sure teaching does not interfere with their dissertation work. Students are also required to attend teacher training such as an EPS micro-teaching workshop or a Bok Center Teaching Conference (offered at the start of each term) prior to teaching their first class. Students for whom English is their second language may want also to contact the Bok Center to discuss which resources (available year-round) would help them become effective teachers.

Students should obtain their faculty advisor’s approval before undertaking outside work.  

TF/TA Responsibilities

Most teaching assignments are 0.25 FTE, with the expectation that you will spend an average of about 10-15 hours per week on teaching-related activities, though the actual workload will likely vary from week to week. The specific responsibilities vary by course. FAS guidelines require Teaching Fellows in FAS courses to attend the lectures of the courses in which they are employed, unless the nature of their work has nothing to do with the content of the lectures (staff employed solely for lab work in chemistry courses, for example). TFs/TAs may be asked to teach a lab or section, lead review sessions, and write and grade exams, papers, and assignments. They are also expected to help plan, attend, and lead any field trip associated with the course.

 TFs and TAs should meet with the course head before the semester begins and discuss specific responsibilities. Teaching staff should meet regularly with the course head throughout the semester to coordinate teaching and communicate any issues that arise with the workload. If a TF/TA finds that they are routinely exceeding 15 hours per week with their teaching responsibilities, they should consult with the course head, department preceptors, and Aimee Smith to discuss adjustments to their workload.