Contact Julie Schmidt via e-mail or by phone at 605-626-3382 to request more information.

Graduate students serving as Technical Support will be supervised by an e-learning faculty member and work with the technical staff to support distance delivery of instructional activities of the E-learning Center. Duties might include the following: working at the Help Desk, supporting DDN studio operations, or working on technology special events or application projects (video production, Design2Learn materials development, videoconference support, technology-based project development).

Graduate students serving as Research Assistants will be assigned to a specific e-learning university faculty member considering a match of research interest of faculty and students and university interest in pursuing specific areas of research. Duties include the following: providing research assistance to a faculty member on a mutually agreed upon project.

To Apply

Submit following documents to Graduate Studies. Director of Graduate Studies, Northern State University, 1200 South Jay Street, Aberdeen SD 57401-7198.

1) Graduate Assistantship Application.

2) A 750-word essay describing your interest in e-learning technologies and research. In this essay the candidate should discuss gained technical skills, relevant work experiences and reasons for enrolling in graduate program.

3) Submit three letters of recommendation from past/present employers, instructors, character references or credential file. (Two letters of recommendation are required to enter the graduate program, and one more is needed to apply for a graduate assistantship position; these letters should be sent to the NSU Graduate Office). At least one letter should address your qualifications for the assistantship category in which you are interested.

Applications Deadline for GA positions is April 10; applications submitted after deadline will be considered on first-come, first-served basis.

Financial Support

In 2007-2008, each assistantship provides a 2/3 remission of tuition (recipients therefore pay 1/3 tuition and fees at the in-state rate) for fall, spring and two summer sessions and an annual stipend around $5,000; for qualifying students offered stipend can be much higher. The graduate assistantship provides sufficient financial support to pay all enrollment expenses and fees for students taking 11 or fewer credits per semester. Assistantships are for one year for the-first year students with the option of renewal for additional semesters. The first year students must submit their assistantship application before April 10 for the new academic year. The deadline for GA application for the final semester of the second-year students is December 5.

* Following are undergraduate grade point average requirements for graduate admission: * 2.75 cumulative undergraduate, or * 3.0 of last 64 semester hours, or * 3.25 of all major courses, or * Students who do not qualify on the basis of the baccalaureate grade point average may take the general test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). A minimum combined score of 800 is required for the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE, and a 2.5 or greater is required for the analytical writing section to be admitted to a degree program.

* All course work for the degree must be completed within six years of enrollment.

* Northern State University admits all qualified students without regard to race, color, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, or religion.

* The application process is not complete until all required materials have been received by Northern State University