Transcript Funding Your Graduate Program at Purdue Susan Fisher Director Graduate Programs College of Engineering August 2013

Funding Your Graduate
Program at Purdue
Susan Fisher
Director Graduate Programs
College of Engineering
August 2013
Overview
• Terminology
• Types of funding
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Graduate Research Assistantship
Graduate Teaching Assistantship
Graduate Administrative/Professional
Graduate Lecturer
Fellowships
Who gets funded
What funding can provide
How to find funding
Purdue resources
Graduate School Terms
• Graduate Staff Appointments (Employment)
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Research Assistantships
Teaching Assistantships
Graduate Assistantship - Administrative/Professional
Graduate Lecturer
• Fellowships (graduate scholarships)
• Stipend (salary)
Research Assistantship
• Student employed by a professor on a research project
• Terms/conditions set by the professor under University
regulations
• Requires 20 to 10 hours per week (half-time or quarter-time)
• Contract for 10 or 12 months
• Annually renewed based on student’s academic standing and
progress made toward the degree
• Usually tied to thesis research project
• Covers tuition, pays a stipend, some fees, ½-time covers
medical insurance
• Can be combined with TA or fellowship (¼-time/¼-time)
Teaching Assistantship
• Student employed by the school/department
• Terms/conditions set by department under University
regulations
• Requires 20 to 10 hours weekly (half-time or quarter-time)
• Contract by the semester for 4½ or 9 months
• Renewal of contract based on course need and performance
• TA obligation may be in addition to research project
• Must be renewed each session
• Covers tuition, pays a stipend, some fees, ½-time covers
medical insurance
• Can be combined with RA or fellowship (¼-time/¼-time)
Graduate Assistantship Administrative/Professional
• Any student with duties that are generally administrative
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Office assistant
Library assignment
SURF or SROP – summer programs
Intercollegiate athletics
Graduate staff outside admitting program, i.e. Grad School
Requires 20 to 10 hours weekly (half-time or quarter-time)
Employed by office or department
Contracted for the summer, a semester, academic year or fiscal year
Renewal of contract based on past performance and whether or not
the hiring unit is in need of a student
Fellowships
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Come in all shapes and sizes - award amounts vary greatly
Terms/conditions are set by the provider
May or may not include employment or internship
Do not usually cover all expenses
Some may be combined with RA or TA
Funded by school, college, university, or independent source
Usually cannot hold two full fellowships simultaneously
Most can be deferred when other funding is available
Some accept student applications; others rely on nominations
Some are portable – can be used at the institution of choice
Length of support varies
Who Gets Funded?
• Fellowships
High GPA: over 3.5
High GRE scores – particularly the Quantitative score
Prefer: Research experience
Prefer: Leadership experience
• Research Assistantship
Solid GPA
Research or experience working with a professor is a plus
• Teaching Assistantship
Good grade in the class or one similar
Prefer: Grader experience
• Graduate Assistantship
How to Find Funding
• Talk to professors about RA positions (only after reading
articles they have written and know details of their research)
• Talk to the Graduate Chair about information on TA positions
• Check out professional/honor organizations in your area
(Tau Beta Pi, ASEE, SHPE, ASME, ASABE, NSBE)
• Apply for every fellowship for which you qualify
• International students check with your government
• Attend the fellowship workshops for US citizens
Finding Resources
• Do not pay for lists advertising funding for grad school
• Use the Fellowship List on the College of Engineering web
site under Academics→Graduate Programs→Funding &
Financial Aid
• Review the Fellowship Database on the Graduate School
Web site
• Search the web – keywords:
• Funding, Engineering, Graduate Student, Fellowships
• Contact your research faculty about specific fellowships in
that area
• Ask grad students in your area how they found funding
Offer Letter
• Letter offering you financial support
• Pay attention to the details
– Type of support (RA, TA, Fellowship)
– Length of support (dates)
– Terms and Conditions (what do you have to do)
– Coverage (tuition, fees, insurance, stipend amount)
• Acceptance is a binding contract
Student Employment
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Graduate School
– Funding Information for Students
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Student Employment Services
– Division of Financial Aid
– Provides up-to-date employment postings on-campus and off-campus
– Listing on web site:
https://www2.itap.purdue.edu/dfa/jobposting/jobsearch.cfm
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General Programs
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Center for Career Opportunities
Cooperative Education Program
Federal Work Study
Internships
Housing & Food Services Student Employment
Recreational Sports Student Employment
Purdue High Tech Job Fair
Purdue Research Park Job Fair
Employment Resource
• Graduate Student Employment Manual
• Should be the first resource for questions
– http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/faculty
/publications.cfm
– Employment Policies and Guidelines
– Payroll Procedures
– Employee Benefits
– Purdue University Graduate Staff
Appointments and Minimum Salaries
Tips for Continuing Support
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Report to your assignment on time
Be prepared to work
Avoid frequent excuses and/or absences
Don’t take advice from other students
Don’t compare your paychecks – tax agreements vary by
country, auto withdrawals vary
• Be responsible for details in continuing the support
• Ask questions – don’t leave it up to others
Summary
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Graduate School terminology is specific
Several types of employment available
Importance of applying for fellowships
Various resources available to you
What to consider when offered funding
How to position yourself for Purdue
employment
• Importance of asking questions
When You Have Questions
Susan Fisher
[email protected]
765-494-0600
Remember: Don’t go it alone;
the most successful students ask for help