Department of Political Science

Political Science
1414 Social Sciences Building
267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612-624-4144
Fax: 612-626-7599
E-mail: polisci@umn.edu

Chair: Raymond D. Duvall

Hiring Research Assistants

If you hire a graduate or undergraduate research assistant, you need to inform the accountant of your intentions. The fourth bin on the accounting office door contains requisition forms for hiring undergraduate research assistants which you will need to complete. All undergraduate research assistants are paid on an hourly basis and need to complete a biweekly timecard which he/she must sign, acquire his/her supervisor's signature and turn-in according to the schedule posted on the wall outside the accountant's office door. The accountant has pay schedules available to all hourly workers which are available by request. It is important that time cards are turned-in according to the schedule. Late submission of time cards can result in delayed paychecks.

  • Graduate and undergraduate students (minimum of six credits) must be registered in order to be eligible for employment. There are no exceptions .
  • Graduate student appointments cannot exceed 75% or thirty (30) hours per week without special permission. No student can work more than forty (40) hours per week
  • Graduate students who have received their Ph.D. cannot be retained for more than one semester as a Research Associate/Fellow. If his/her appointment exceeds one semester, a "blanket search" must be conducted. For information relating to conducting a blanket search, contact the Assistant to the Director
  • If a student has no work history with the University, he/she must complete the necessary forms before he/she can be hired. Make sure he/she has acceptable forms of identification with them such as SSN and driver's license, birth certificate or passport.
  • Non-academic student employees (temporary or casual employees) are students who are not registered at the University. The maximum number of hours he/she can work is one hundred (100) per year.
  • A student cannot be paid if the accountant does not know he/she is working for faculty or staff. Make sure the student knows he/she must visit the accounting office so that he/she can be set-up up on payroll. Otherwise, he/she will not get paid.
  • Faculty are responsible for notifying the accounting office in sufficient time (one month prior to the end of the semester) to reappoint students who are working as research and administrative assistants.
  • The restrictions relating to appointments does not apply during the summer. Students can work up to forty (40) hours per week. Summer appointments are, by default, without tuition benefit. If a student intends to register for summer classes, be sure he/she notifies the accountant so that he/she is appointed to a tuition-bearing payclass.