Graduate Employees (GEs) Levels of Appointment

In the collective bargaining agreement, the definitions for the three levels of GE appointments are as follows:

Graduate Employee (GE) I:

For master's or doctoral students not yet eligible for GE II or GE III.

Graduate Employee (GE) II:

For students who meet one of the following criteria, the hiring unit must select "1st term at level II" on the ePRF and follow the instructions below when it is the first time the GE is being hired at Level II. 

  1. Master’s Degree in the same or cognate field

ePRF Instructions: Provide the name of the institution and the conferral date for the master's degree in "Submitter Remarks” section of the ePRF. (For example, “Master’s degree: University of XXXXX. Conferral Date: June 2024”.)

Note: if the master's degree has not yet officially been conferred at the time of hire, the student will need to be hired at Level I until the degree is conferred. 

  1. Completed a qualifying exam or equivalent milestone toward their doctoral degree

ePRF Instructions: Attach approval from the student's graduate program (e.g., approval memo or exam approval form), or use the fillable template available here.

  1. Completed 45 Credit Hours toward their doctoral degree and have written recommendation from the department head

ePRF Instructions: Attach a memo from the student's graduate program confirming completion of 45 credits toward the degree, or use the fillable template available here.

Graduate Employee (GE) III:

For doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy, the hiring unit must select "1st term at level III" on the ePRF when it is the first time the GE is being hired at Level III. 

Note: Advancement to candidacy must be fully approved in GradWeb by the Division of Graduate Studies before a level III appointment can be processed.

Level Changes

Level increases are not automatic. They must be requested via a new ePRF, accompanied by documentation if required (see instructions above). It is the student's and academic unit's responsibility to initiate level increases.

When a GE becomes eligible for a level increase, they should notify their hiring unit. This is particularly important for GEs employed by units other than their own graduate program.

Level increases take effect the term after the specific eligibility criteria have been met. For example, a student who advances to candidacy in fall term is eligible for a level III appointment in the following winter term.