Teaching Assistantships

Because Bren does not have an undergraduate program, there are no TA positions for MESM students. The few TA positions that Bren has available are to support MESM courses, and the University requires that these be filled by PhD students. Bren has approximately 15 1-quarter 50% TA positions to offer PhD students who are qualified to assist with Bren MESM classes.

Some Bren MESM and PhD students have served as TAs in a variety of departments in the University.  UCSB's Academic Personnel Web Site has contact information for all departments that have TA positions available. However, TA positions in other departments are not abundant, and each department gives first priority to its own students. Thus, you should not count on financing your education through TA positions in other departments alone.  Students should apply directly to departments for available TA positions and should contact them directly to pursue opportunities.

The most abundant source of TA positions for Bren students has been the Environmental Studies Program (ES), a large undergraduate program in the College of Letters and Sciences. Since Environmental Studies does not have a graduate program, it employs graduate students from other departments to cover its teaching needs.

Typically in late April or early May, the Environmental Studies Program will post an application for TA positios for the upcoming academic year. The deadline for submission is usually near the end of May.

Graduate Student Researcher
A Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) is a graduate student who assists faculty members with scholarly research and are paid from extramural funds that the faculty member has secured through funding agencies. . GSRs are selected for their high achievement and promise as creative scholars; they may collaborate in the publication of research results as determined by supervising faculty members. As such, GSRs are selected for their high achievement and promise or productive scholarship. GSRs are not assigned teaching, administrative, or general assistance duties.

GSR positions are arranged on an individual basis between the student and a faculty member, and generally are not “applied for” as one would a Teaching Assistantship. Most faculty members use PhD students to fill their GSR positions, although a few positions may be available for MESM students.

If you are interested in becoming a GSR for a particular faculty member (in any department at UCSB), please contact the faculty member directly to explore possibilities.

Other On-campus Employment
Some UCSB departments employ graduate students as Readers and Tutors. The Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) employs students as Tutors, Peer Learning Skills Counselors, and Intake Counselors for course-specific tutoring and academic skill development.

A number of faculty, departments and organizations on campus employ students in administrative and service functions. Employment opportunities on campus are listed on the Human Resources website and in Counseling and Career Services.

Periodically, Bren School administration and individual faculty will have opportunities for students to work a few hours a week. These positions are advertised through the Bren email network. Students who have a work-study allocation are especially attractive applicants for these positions.

Off-campus Employment

Depending on their workload, Bren MESM students may work part-time or complete local internships during the academic year.

The Santa Barbara News-Press classified section lists job openings in the Santa Barbara area. GauchoLink — the UCSB "job board" — has listings from area businesses and residential employers for full-time, part-time and seasonal employment. You can find GauchoLink on the Counseling and Career Services site.

Career Development Program
The Bren School is very fortunate to have a full-time Director of Career Development, who helps Bren students with their resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills, and salary negotiation skills. In addition, he researches leads on positions for summer internships, school-year internships/employment, and post-graduate employment. For more information on the Bren School’s Career Development Program, please see Career Services.