UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division maintains the full list of campus eligibility and training requirements for each ASE position. Please find a summary below.

[SKIP to Training Information]

Basic Eligibility Requirements

  • Be in Berkeley, and available, from the official start of the semester until three days after the final exam is given. Please note that the semester officially begins roughly one week before classes start.
  • Maintain a minimum UC Berkeley Graduate GPA of at least 3.0
  • Have no more than 2 Incomplete grades in upper division or graduate level courses.
  • Enroll in at least 12 units as a graduate student during the semester in which you will hold the position. Individuals on Filing Fee Status are ineligible for ASE positions. *Graduate Students enrolled in self-supporting degree programs (EWMBA, MFE, and XMBA degree programs), do not have to meet the 12 unit minimum.
  • Unless specified otherwise, attendance at course lectures is required for all Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) and Readers.
  • Students can not work more than 50% time (20 hours/week) during the Academic Semester (this includes all university employment)

The following should be noted for Haas appointments:

    • MBA students in the first semester of course work are ineligible to work as GSIs, Readers, Tutors, and/or GSRs.
    • First-year PhD students may not be appointed to an ASE post without written consent of the PhD program.
    • Candidates may not serve as both GSI and Reader in the same course.
    • Candidates are ineligible to serve as an ASE for a course in which they are enrolled.
    • Appointments are contingent on satisfactory performance.
    • Non-UC Berkeley students applying for Haas ASE positions require a letter of recommendation from the home department to be considered for employment.

For International Students

  • Non-native English speakers must pass either the TSE (Test of Spoken English) or the SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) before the start of an appointment (August 1 for Fall positions; January 1 for Spring positions). Information on these tests is available at Graduate Student Instructor Teaching & Resource Center. Candidates that hold a bachelor’s level degree from a U.S. institution are exempt from this requirement.
  • International students should contact the Berkeley International Office to confirm that they have the required work authorization to be hired as ASEs.

Please keep in mind at all steps of the hiring process, that hiring instructors can not make verbal promises to hire. Offers, if forthcoming, can only be made in writing via an appointment notification letter once a candidate’s eligibility has been verified.

Training Requirements for GSI Candidates:

  1. New ASE Orientation
  2. GSI Teaching Conference
  3. 375-level Pedagogy Course
  4. Online Professional Standards and Ethics Course
    (direct link to registration)
  5. Language Proficiency for International Applicants

*Please note that courses listed above are mandatory for first-time GSIs unless specified otherwise [BACK to Eligibility] If you cannot attend/complete any of the above required central campus training, please do not apply for any GSI positions.

  • New ASE Orientation is sponsored by the Office of Labor Relations and must be completed by all first-time GSIs, Readers, and Tutors. The Spring 25′ ASE Orientation Dates will be posted here.
  • The GSI Teaching Conference is offered through central campus. Pre-registration is required and information regarding the conference can be found  on the GSI Teaching and Resource Center Web site. The Spring 2025 GSI Teaching Conference is scheduled for Friday, January 17, 2025 from 9am-5:15pm. 
  • 375-level Pedagogy courses are required training for all GSI appointments. The Haas sections of this course provide only information specific to the nature of a Haas classroom. For this reason, enrollment priority will be given to GSIs supporting Haas courses. For more information about the Haas sections, please contact the Haas Head GSI.
  • The next section of MBA375 is scheduled for: Thursday, January 30, 2025, from 5:30pm – 9:30pm. Location: TBD. The course ID# is 20044. You will need to enroll in the course via Cal Central.
  • The next section of PHDBA375 will be held in spring 25′ (This is a full semester pedagogy course).
  • The Language Proficiency Program is available for first-time International GSI Candidates who do not speak English as a native language and require additional English Language support.
  • The GSI Professional Standards and Ethics online course is required of all first-time GSIs before any interaction with students either in person or online, in their role as an instructor, occurs. Enrollment instructions for the GSI online ethics course can be found here.

Training Requirements for Reader Candidates:

  • New ASE Orientation is sponsored by the Office of Labor Relations and must be completed by all first-time GSIs, Readers, and Tutors. The Spring 23′ ASE Orientation Dates will be posted here.

For comments or questions, please e-mail the ASE Administrator.