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The largest classes (CS 61A and CS 61B) have roughly 1800 and 1600 students respectively during peak semesters. A 20 hour TA is paid ~$2250/mo for approximatel
by elipsitz 4y ago
The largest classes (CS 61A and CS 61B) have roughly 1800 and 1600 students respectively during peak semesters.
A 20 hour TA is paid ~$2250/mo for approximately 4.5 months per semester, plus ~$7000/semester in tuition remission (so ~$17k). $350 is the total cost for the whole semester per student. 17k/350 is about 50 students per TA, which sounds about right (and even that is a higher than ideal ratio). There are other costs too, but these are the some of the highest.
- idontwantthis 4y agoAre the TAs grad students? I got $10/hour and nothing else as an undergrad TA.
- elipsitz 4y agoSome are, almost all in the introductory classes (including me) and many in the upper division classes are undergrads. (u)GSIs at Berkeley are paid particularly well compared to other schools, I think in large part due to the TA union (UAW 2865).
- idontwantthis 4y agoMan, my university cost twice as much too.
- kkylin 4y agoThings being what they are in the USA, the cost of a grad TA may also include the cost of healthcare. Plus most grad students would be charged out-of-state tuition, which can be quite a bit higher than the in-state rate.
- Ekaros 4y agoThat makes it look like that the cost of tuition is entirely the fault here. Lower that by half at least and numbers start to make lot more sense.
- anonymousDan 4y agoWow, that is an insane number of students. I shudder at the thought of marking all those exams!
- elipsitz 4y agoGrading was actually pretty fun. I kind of miss it! Exams are scanned and then graded electronically, which makes it less of a hassle. It’s still a lot of work, but you have an army of TAs to do it.