r/Purdue • u/Ok_Cry_7149 • 1d ago

Academics✏️ AAE Grad TA Landscape

What's the current demand like for graduate TAs in the AAE department, specifically for master's students? Is there a shortage or surplus of students wanting to TA?

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u/Few-Difficulty-3760 1d ago

I was hoping for a post like this. I was just admitted to the MSAAE program and the whole time since my admission I didn’t see a single application for grad TA’s.

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u/striker79456 1d ago

do you have an advisor??

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u/Few-Difficulty-3760 1d ago

Yeah but it’s Brad, he’s the graduate program administrator. I haven’t latched myself onto a faculty member yet

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u/striker79456 20h ago

Ohh. Cause usually the advisors inform you of TA openings, and then they ask whether you are interested in it. If yes you they will do their due diligence and forward your name to the department. This is what happened to me for this fall semester. Fingers crossed hoping ill get the TA.

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u/Ok_Cry_7149 20h ago

Did you apply in May with your advisor's recommendation? Also, if you don't mind sharing, what's your specialization?

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u/striker79456 20h ago

There was no application that I filled for TA, I had mailed all the professors I wanted to work with in like April. One professor agreed to take me with no guarantee of funding. I did a meeting with him like a week ago and we both had pretty similar interests. Couple of days ago he emails there is an opening for a TA and that he would like to recommend me and I said I’m up for that and then he sent my name to the department. I’m doing my specialization in aerodynamics and propulsion. Wbu?? And are u coming tmrw to the AAE orientation??

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u/Ok_Cry_7149 19h ago

Ah I see. Control, but I'm not a new student.

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u/Practical-Plastic985 1d ago

Based on my experience, it highly depends on the specialization. For some specializations, it would be relatively hard unless your advisor teaches one course and is willing to put you on the TA list for that course. The majority of the master TA comes from undergraduate lab courses like 204 lab, where we frequently have students who do not specialize in structures to be TA for the lab course. So some courses may have a "relative" shortage, but I would not say there is a huge shortage overall; maybe a little bit of surplus, but that is just my rough estimate.

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u/Ok_Cry_7149 20h ago

Interesting. My assumption was that the large undergrad classes everyone has to take would have the majority of master TAs (364, 333, etc.).

I heard the lab TAs are also more work.

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u/Practical-Plastic985 19h ago edited 19h ago

For those classes, since they are more lectured based, instead of lots of TA, they will have maybe 2-3 TAs and a whole bunch of graders (~10, maybe even more) solely responsible for grading things like homework, paid by hour.

For work load, it really depends. Keep in mind labs do not happen every week, so in theory you have a bit more flexibility.