Policy on Award of Teaching Assistantships

In 1986, the Missouri State Legislature and the University of Missouri Board of Curators adopted a policy which seeks to guarantee effective, high quality instruction for undergraduates. The State of Missouri has mandated, and the UM System Board of Curators fully supports, the 1986 ruling that graduate students who did not receive both their primary and secondary education in a nation or territory in which English is the primary language may not hold a teaching appointment during their first term of enrollment at any public institution of higher education in the State of Missouri. In addition, all such students shall be tested for their ability to communicate orally in English in a classroom setting, and those students who have not previously lived in the United States shall be given a cultural orientation to prepare them for teaching prior to receiving an appointment.

The first two requirements are dictated by the Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 170.012, 

1. Students in the above category may not hold a GTA or GIA appointment during their first term of enrollment at UMKC.
2. If students in this category have not previously lived in the United States, they must participate in a cultural orientation to prepare them for their teaching appointment.

Additional UMKC Certification Requirements

In addition to the requirements dictated by Missouri law, a graduate student from a nation or territory other than the U.S. must have satisfied each of the following standards to be certified to accept a GTA or GIA appointment at UMKC. The only exceptions to these standards are for students who have earned a degree (undergraduate for which the last two years of education were completed in the U.S. or graduate) from a U.S. institution. Admission to UMKC does not guarantee a GTA or GIA appointment; consistent with Missouri law, students must fulfill separate certification requirements to be eligible for GTA or GIA positions.  The UMKC certification requirements include:

1. Attain a qualifying speaking section score on one of the accepted standardized tests. This includes the TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE:
   1. TOEFL 23 or higher if taken before January 21, 2026 OR 4.5 or higher if taken after January 21, 2026
   2. IELTS 7 or higher
   3. PTE 65 or higher
2. Attend the SGS GTA/GI Cultural Orientation.
3. Successfully Complete the Certification Assessment: Obtain a passing score on an oral examination of language comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.  This is generally a mock lecture presented to a panel of faculty and students.

Information about the UMKC certification requirements, including the dates for the cultural orientation and procedures for the certification assessment can be found on the website of the School of Graduate Studies.