Are you interested in graduate school at BJU?

Interested in working as a graduate assistant or graduate student worker?

Well, now is the time to apply for your future graduate program, student worker scholarships and graduate assistant positions.

If you are a new or returning graduate student, the process to apply for potential graduate assistant positions and scholarships is slightly different than in previous years.

If you are planning to attend BJU for a graduate program next year and are interested in working as a GA, you must first apply and receive approval for your graduate program.

After receiving approval for your graduate program, you are eligible to apply for GA positions.

These positions are classified as part-time faculty and staff, serving in a wide variety of areas.

GA positions include two categories: academic graduate assistants and staff graduate assistants.

Laura Cross, who works in  human resources, explained how the people in these positions help fulfill the mission of BJU.

“The academic positions are positions that serve in a role that provides instruction to students—either directly through a classroom setting or the residence halls, or through support services such as tutoring or advising,” Cross said.

“These positions directly serve our students and support our mission of providing quality education with a Biblical worldview.”

Academic GA positions are typically nine months of the year, and staff positions are typically 12 months but both offer 30-hour per week contracts.

“The staff positions are typically in support roles in a variety of areas such as Facilities, BJU Press, BJA, Advancement and Admission,” Cross said.

“[These roles] provide crucial support to accomplishing the many tasks that are necessary to keep things running smoothly here on campus,” she said.

The staff GAs will be compensated at an hourly rate commensurate with BJU employees to use to purchase tuition and room and board.

University health insurance is available and may be purchased if the GA position is a 30-hour position.

The academic GAs will receive a tuition waiver and a cash stipend.

BJU’s chief human resources officer, Kevin Taylor, said these GA positions provide a part-time role that is treated in all respects like a part-time staff member.

“We have placed these positions within the faculty and staff pay scale and are providing benefits for these positions like the health insurance but also paid time off benefits including paid personal time, sick time, funeral time, holiday pay, etc.,” Taylor said.

Staff GAs or graduate students enrolled full-time in a graduate program (a minimum of eight credits per semester) and working at least 19 hours per week either on or off campus are eligible for a financial aid scholarship.

Scholarships are awarded on a need-basis and will usually range from 10 percent to 50 percent of the cost of tuition.

If you are unable to take at least eight hours because of your program’s unique situation (such as being able to take only two classes due to prerequisites), you may still be eligible for the scholarship after receiving dean approval stating that your program’s situation is a validated decrease in credits.

An email with an attached scholarship application was sent out after the preliminary informational meeting, but if for some reason you did not receive it or you have recently become interested in the graduate programs, you can request a scholarship application by emailing [email protected].

Scholarship applications must be accompanied with an explanation of financial need.

The scholarship applications will be reviewed and eligible applicants will usually be notified of an award by letter within 10 business days of submission of the completed application.

Graduate student workers will be eligible for housing and food plans.

Whether working on or off campus, graduate students interested in residence hall room and board packages can indicate their desire through the eReservation on StudentCentral, which each student completes for the upcoming semester.

The room and board packages include a full package and a value package.

The value package has a set number of meals and some Bruins Bucks.