Teaching assistantships
Teaching is an important part of graduate education, providing valuable experience in communicating concepts and explaining ideas clearly.
TAs are funded by the Faculty of Mathematics and assigned by the department.
MMath students
Full-time MMath students are entitled to 3.50 TA units over five terms.
| Term | F | W | S | F | W | S | F | W | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMath (Fall Start Term) | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.00 | -- | -- | 3.50 |
| MMath (Winter Start Term) | -- | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.00 | 0.75 | -- | 3.50 |
| MMath (Spring Start Term) | -- | -- | 0.50 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 3.50 |
Students who started prior to Fall 2026 will have a combination of the revised TA unit allocation and the previous TA unit allocations (e.g. 1.0 units) to fulfill the minimum funding commitment in their offer letter. While the TA unit allocation per term has changed, the total number of TA unit allocation will remain the same.
MMath students in co-op
Students in the co-op program will not receive a TA during their work term. Instead, the TA unit will be deferred to a later term. The total number of TA units a student receives after transferring into the co-op program depends on their MMath starting term and the term in which they transfer into the co-op program. As a result, some students may receive fewer than the full 3.50 TA units. Email the Graduate Coordinator, Masters Program for more information.
PhD students
Full-time PhD students are entitled to up to 8.00 TA units over the course of their 4-year program. PhD students admitted from a Bachelor's degree are entitled to up to 12.00 TA units over the course of their 6-year program.
TA units are not provided during internship terms and are not reassigned to a future term.
| Term | F | W | S | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD from Masters | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.75 + 0.75 + 0.50 = 2.0 Units 2.00 units per year x 4 years = 8.00 units |
| PhD from Bachelors | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.50 | 0.75 + 0.75 + 0.50 = 2.0 Units 2.00 units per year x 6 years = 12.00 units |
Students can log in to Odyssey to view their TA unit allocations per term. Continuation of TA support is contingent on satisfactory performance in previous TA assignments.
TA Assignments
In the School of Computer Science, teaching assignments are determined and communicated by the CS TA Assignment Team.
Graduate students in their first and second terms will normally be assigned to first and second-year courses, and advanced students will be assigned to upper-year courses. Duties are specified at the beginning of the term through the Assignment of Duties (AOD) form and can include consultation with students, marking assignments and exams, preparing examples, or assisting with tutorial sessions. The workload varies depending on the course and the TA units assigned (e.g. a 0.5 TA unit is roughly 5 hours / week).
More information about TA assignments can all be found on the Instructional Support Group (ISG)'s website. For questions that are not found in the Teaching Assitantships (TA) FAQ, please contact us as CS-TA@uwaterloo.ca.
Teaching opportunities
Instructional Apprentice (IA) Positions
In recognition of the advanced skills of many graduate students, we have created IA positions as an alternative to standard TA positions. These positions have the same number of hours as a TA position and the same pay scale, but the duties are more diverse.
In contrast to a TA, who spends most hours marking assignments, an IA will spend time on other activities such as tutorial or lab instructors and holding office hours for consulting with students. Others will be responsible for coordinating and supervising TAs, or for creating assignment solutions and/or marking schemes.
Lecturing opportunities
While most graduate students will gain teaching experience through teaching assistantships, occasionally some senior graduate students may have the opportunity to be instructors. These assignments must be approved by the student's supervisor and the Director of the School.
TA Training Modules
New TA's must complete the following TA modules in LEARN within the first 8 weeks of their first term:
- Five standard Math Faculty modules: These five modules include three safety trainings (Employee Safety Orientation, WHMIS, and Workplace Violence Awareness); Accessibility Training; and Harassment and Discrimination (CMAHRO) training
- Cyber Awareness modules: Includes four modules on Cyber Awareness
To enrol in these modules, login to your LEARN account. Click the "Self Registration" tab, and search for the name of the training module.