The academic teaching requirement for completion of the UCSD Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics is three quarters which are completed in the first year in the program. Students typically must TA at least one (1) lab as part of the 3-quarter teaching requirement. Exceptions to the teaching requirement and policies require prior Graduate Affairs approval.
Apply for courses you are qualified to TA: Choose courses for your preference in areas in which you are proficient, demonstrated by having completed equivalent course(s) with a grade of A- or better or, if applicable, passing the ACS Exam in that subject area.
BCHM 509 Enrollment
BCHM 509: The first quarter in which students TA in the Department must enroll in BCHM 509 (2 units), a weekly Teaching Apprentice Training Seminar.
TA Responsibilities
A teaching assistant (TA) assists in the instruction of an upper or lower division course at the University under the supervision of a faculty member. The TA primarily assists the faculty member in charge of the course by conducting discussion or laboratory sections that supplement faculty lectures and by grading assignments and examinations.
Expectations for Satisfactory Performance. At the first instructor-TA meeting for the course (attendance mandatory), instructors will outline the actual TA duties for their course. More information about responsibilities are covered in BCHM 509 (Teaching Methods in Biochemistry). However, duties typically required of all TAs are:
- Attend all instructor-TA meetings.
- Attend all lectures of the course they are TAing.
- Lead one or more discussion or lab sections as agreed at the time of TA assignment.
- Assist with grading and proctoring.
- Hold office hours or cover a Help Room.
- Other duties as needed for a particular course, such as quizzes, preparation for sections, and lab demonstrations.
- Lab TAs must attend MANDATORY safety training and meetings.
- Pre-Teaching Checklist
- TA Performance Criteria
Performance Evaluations and Standards. TAs are evaluated by the instructor of the course and by the students they teach. TAs can access their evaluations at http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/Modules/Evals. More information on performance standards is provided at the TA Training Seminar affiliated with BCHM 509.
TA Workload
A typical TA assignment with the department is a 50% appointment, or a total workload of 240 hours over 12 weeks. Most of these hours are accrued in the 10-week quarter and finals week (see Schedule of Classes). Depending on the needs of a specific course, instructors will inform TAs of the need to work hours in the pre-quarter week.
- Grad TAs lead 4-5 discussion sections of BCHM 114A-B-C, 126 A-B
- Grad TAs lead one lab section of BCHM 108, 109
Experience-Based Salary Points
Teaching Assistants are paid based on university teaching experience at UC San Diego, at 25% or 50% FTE or more per term (excluding Summer quarters). You can check the student academic title pay rates for student employees here: Student Academic Title Pay Rates
- Salary point 1: 0-2 quarters of experience
- Salary point 2: 3-5 quarters of experience
- Salary point 3: 6 quarters of experience
Employment Information
Appointments are quantified by a percentage based on a 40-hour work week (i.e., 100% = 40 hours per week; 50% = 20 hours per week; 25% = 10 hours per week). Graduate students cannot work more than 50% during the academic year, or more than 100% during the summer.
- Official TA offers will be sent out through the Instructional Assistant (IA) System prior to the start of each quarter. TA assignments are not final until/unless you receive this offer via email.
- The Student Affairs Office will contact you by email if you must complete employment paperwork.
- The standard 50% appointment will be for an assignment with one lab or 4-5 discussion sections for Teaching Assistants. The 25% appointment is typically 2-3 discussion sections.