About Course and Teaching Assistantships

Serving as a CA or TA can be quite rewarding. In addition to providing tuition credit and a stipend, the job offers the opportunity for close association with a faculty member, experience as a member of a teaching team, and the satisfaction of helping students learn new concepts and complete projects.

To apply for a position, contact the faculty member teaching the course in which you wish to assist.

It's important to note that students are rarely offered positions in their first quarter at Stanford. Faculty members usually offer CA/TA positions to students they have worked with in class or have talked with in some detail.

Hiring decisions are made at different times of the year depending on the course. For example, Product Realization Lab TAships for autumn and winter are awarded in the spring of the prior year. Course sequences (ME111,112,113, and ME218ABCD, for example) usually keep the same assistants throughout the year. Positions for courses that are not part of a sequence are sometimes determined as late as just before the quarter begins.

If you've been awarded a CA or TA position

Appointments at the undergraduate level are handled by Mechanical Engineering Student Services in Building 530.  Appointments at the graduate level are initiated via an Appointment Form which is begun by Kristin Burns, Group Manager. The CA or TA completes the form and submits it to the Student Services. Individuals who have not previously been on the Stanford payroll will need to complete an I-9, Tax Data Form and SU-18 Copyright & Patent Agreement..

Autumn quarter appointments are from October 1 through December 31. The first payday is October 22, the last is January 7.

Winter quarter appointments are from January 1 through March 31. The first payday is January 22, the last is April 7.

Spring quarter appointments are from April 1 through June 30. The first payday is April 22, the last is July 7.

See the ME Department Graduate Student Financial Support page.