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Northern Illinois University

College of Business - NIU

Department of Accountancy Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are one avenue to pay for graduate coursework. Assistantships provide a monthly stipend and a full tuition waiver. General, course, and program fees are the responsibility of the student.

The Department of Accountancy only awards graduate assistantships to M.A.S. and M.S.T. degree-seeking students. Phase I M.A.S. international students are not considered for assistantships during the first year of the program.

There are two types of graduate assistantships: (1) teaching and (2) research. Graduate assistantships carry a full tuition waiver and pay a stipend depending on whether you are a full-time (20 hours a week) or a part-time (10 or 15 hours a week) assistant. If you are interested in either type of assistantship, there are two applications that need to be completed.

  1. Accountancy Assistantship Application
  2. NIU Graduate Assistantship Application

The deadline for both of the applications to be returned to the Department of Accountancy is May 1st. Please submit your applications to Dr. John Simon, M.A.S. Director. Dr. Simon selects assistantships in June for the next academic year. You are not guaranteed an assistantship. Approximately 35-40% of M.A.S. students received an assistantship. This includes assistantships with other departments and offices on campus.

Mailing address for M.A.S. Director (e-mail is jsimon@niu.edu) and office location :

John R. Simon
Department of Accountancy
Northern Illinois University
Barsema Hall – Room # 345 CC
DeKalb, IL 60115
Phone number (815) 753-6203

Criteria for the Selection of Department of Accountancy Graduate Assistants

Graduate assistants in the Department of Accountancy are selected based on several criteria. These criteria include:

  • Providing the Department of Accountancy with two applications to be a graduate assistant by the deadline;
  • Being enrolled in the Masters of Accounting Science (M.A.S.) program or the Masters of Science in Taxation (M.S.T.) program. Graduate students in programs other than the M.A.S. and M.S.T. programs will not be considered for an assistantship in the Department of Accountancy;
  • Achieving a GMAT score (or equivalent GRE or LSAT score) of at least 500*;
  • Achieving an undergraduate grade point average of at least a 3.00/4.00 for domestic (U.S.) students*;
  • Having good communication skills*;
  • Having specialized skills, for example, computer skills, and/or relevant work experiences in accounting or in other areas of business*.

    * Exceptional achievements in an individual criterion may outweigh deficiencies in other criteria. For example, a student who achieves an outstanding score on the GMAT (a score of 650 or higher), may be selected for a graduate assistantship even though the student does not have relevant work experiences.