How to Fully Fund Your PhD

By On March 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Engineering, Fellowships, History, Humanities / Social Sciences, Military, Psychology / Counseling, Public Administration, Public Policy, Science, Tips

A few years ago when I first began looking at Master’s and PhD programs, I wasn’t aware that many universities fully fund their doctoral students. Full funding normally includes full tuition and a stipend for living expenses for the four to six years a student is in the doctoral program. Because I didn’t know this, I considered a PhD impossible and pursued a Master’s instead, taking out both a federal and private loan to fund my studies.

I learned of fully funded doctoral programs while looking for fellowships for others, and I was very fortunate to enter a PhD program last year at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand that is fully funding my studies. I never would have considered Massey University previously if I had to pay for my doctoral studies.

In most cases, finding and entering a doctoral program with full funding is easier that winning a competitive external doctoral fellowship, like the Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Not only are these external fellowships more competitive, but often they only fund the 3rd, 4th and 5th year of your PhD study, when you are completing your dissertation research. Therefore, when considering a doctorate, research all the potential PhD programs in your academic field, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, and ask the admissions office if they fully fund every admitted student. This may have a major impact on the schools you consider applying to.

Just a small sample of PhD programs that are fully-funded:

All PhD students at Columbia University get full funding. Columbia has particularly strong programs in medicine and sciences, as well as public administration and policy.

Boston College’s Department of Psychology offers a four- to five-year, full-time, fully-funded, research-oriented doctoral program. The ratio of faculty to doctoral students is approximately 1 to 1.

Students admitted Duke University’s PhD program in Military History receive multi-year funding packages from the graduate school, including tuition waivers, a stipend, and a teaching assistantship or gradership.

Most doctoral students in the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering doctoral program are admitted under a policy of full support. Doctoral students admitted with financial support who enter with a master’s degree will receive four years of guaranteed support as long as standards are achieved and milestones are met.

One thing to keep in mind is that “full funding” may be substantially less than what you are earning in the private sector and is likely not enough to support a family. Yearly stipends normally range from $18,000 – $30,000. Smaller cities have lower costs of living, so another major factor in your consideration should be location.

Some people also consider fully funded doctoral programs to fund a Master’s degree. While frowned upon in academia for obvious reasons, you could enter a funded PhD program, complete your first 2 years of coursework, and suspend your studies once you receive a Master’s with ABD (All But Dissertation) distinction. A retired Cornell professor clued me in to this strategy. But you didn’t hear it from me!

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Summer Policy Fellowship For Boston-Area Graduate Students

By On March 6, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Fellowships, Public Administration, Public Policy, Public Service

During my seminars in Boston, I talked quite a bit about public policy fellowships that offer students and recent graduates an opportunity to work in local, state or federal government. These programs include the New York City Urban Fellows Program (I’m a 2001-2 alum), the City Hall Fellows Program in San Francisco and Baton Rouge, and the Capital City Fellows Program in Washington, DC.

I also recently learned about The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at the Havard Kennedy School sponsors a Public Policy Summer Fellowship for graduate students to spend a summer in key state and local agencies in the Greater Boston area. Students from all graduate schools in Greater Boston are eligible, including Tufts, Boston University, and MIT. Fellows participate in a weekly seminar series with leading practitioners and scholars and receive a $7000 stipend for the summer. Fellows have worked on a diverse range of projects that include: school reform plans, environmental risk assessment, public-private partnerships, community development projects, performance-management systems, racial bias in the juvenile justice system, health coverage for foster children, and reduction plans for greenhouse gases. The Rappaport Institute also offers a Summer Doctoral Public Policy Fellowship specifically for doctoral students.

Application deadlines for the 2012 fellowship programs have passed, but keep these programs in mind when considering fellowships next years. Applications deadlines for these programs normally fall between December – January for a fellowships beginning in the summer or fall.

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Fellowships for International Students and Professionals: We’re On The Hunt

By On March 2, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Engineering, Fellowships, Medicine / Health Sciences, Public Policy, Public Service, Science, United States

We had four fantastic seminars at Tufts, Harvard, MIT and BU this week, and one of the most common questions I was asked is will ProFellow have fellowships for non-U.S. citizens. The resounding answer is YES. In the past year we’ve come across a large number of fellowships that international applicants are eligible for. Considering how difficult it is to find these opportunities, we are working on a way to make it easy for ProFellow users to find them in our database when we launch this summer. In the meantime, here is just a small selection of fellowships and tips for international applicants.

You may have your heart set on a certain university for your graduate studies, but be flexible in your choices. Some universities offer full graduate fellowships to their students in certain disciplines and some are specific to international applicants. Yale University offers 20-25 annual Gruber Science Fellowships for students of any nationality pursuing a PhD in biomedical and biological sciences or in astronomy and astrophysics. Also the Harvard Kennedy School of Government provided us information on two fellowships, the Luksic Fellowships for Croatian students, and the Kokkalis Degree Program Fellowship for natives of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.

There are also a number of foundation fellowships for international applicants for either graduate study or research.  The International Student Research Fellowships sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute provide up to $43,000 to talented science and engineering students during their third, fourth, and fifth year of graduate school. The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Research Awards offers funding to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries for research carried out in one or more developing countries. The AAUW International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Also, the Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program provides support to young researchers working in academic and research institutions from eligible countries preparing a doctoral thesis.

There are also a number of professional fellowships for international applicants. The Community Solutions Program is a 4 month professional fellowship that allows Fellows to work in a U.S. nonprofit organization on topics such as transparency, conflict resolution, and women’s issues. Also the Acumen Fund Global Fellows Program is a social entrepreneurship fellowship for applicants of any nationality with 3-7 years work experience.

There are many more! Follow us on Facebook and sign-up for our beta for the latest news and announcements.

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New Policy Fellowship in Honor of Dr. Ronald D. Asmus

By On January 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Economics, Fellowships, International Affairs, Peace & Security, Political Science, Public Policy

The German Marshall Fund of the United States has launched the new Asmus Policy Entrepreneurs Fellowship to support two emerging policy entrepreneurs from the U.S. and Europe. The fellowship is in honor of Ronald D. Asmus, GMF Brussels office executive director and director of strategic planning, who dedicated his life to the principles of freedom and passed away on April 30, 2011.

Applicants must be American or European citizens under the age of 40 who propose a project that they believe will address an important foreign or economic policy issue and will advance transatlantic cooperation. Over the course of the year, Asmus Fellows will utilize existing GMF activities and networks to discuss and consider policy questions and frameworks before proposing a solution. Fellows will also have the opportunity to attend three to four key GMF programs, in some cases as speakers. Each fellowship is worth up to $25,000.

For those interesting in applying, consider how your project will advance the goals and ideals of Dr. Asmus’ work. Dr. Amus was a leading thinker, practitioner and policy entrepreneur working on US-European relations for over two decades.  He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs from 1997-2000 and was also a senior analyst and fellow at Radio Free Europe, RAND and the Council on Foreign Relations.  Dr. Amus authored many articles and books, and is primarily remembered as someone with an “unshakable belief in the importance of transatlantic cooperation”, who pushed for NATO’s enlargement toward the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Read here for more information on the fellowship program and application. All applications must be received by February 10th, 2012.

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New Undergraduate Research Fellowships at UC Riverside

By On January 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Business, Communications, Creative Arts, Education, Engineering, Fellowships, Fellowships by Location, Medicine / Health Sciences, Public Service, Science, Social Sciences / Liberal Arts, Technology, United States, Vocational Careers

The University of California, Riverside wants its undergraduate students to be more involved in campus research, and recently established a program to do just that.  Announced earlier this month, the new Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (CRF) will support undergraduate student engagement in faculty mentored research and creative activity projects.

The Chancellor’s Research Fellowship is great opportunity for undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate or professional school to gain relevant experience and stand out from the crowd. All applicants must create a research project proposal, including a description of their methodological approach.

The competition for the Chancellor’s Research Fellowship is currently open. Current UC Riverside sophomores and juniors in any academic discipline who are maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above are eligible to apply. The program will award up to 12 fellowships to undergraduate students in amounts as much as $5,000 for the 2012-13 academic year. Applications are due on April 13, 2012. If you’re interested in learning more about UC Riverside’s Chancellor’s Research Fellowship and how to apply, please click here.

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A Foot In The Door For a Career In Government

By On January 23, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Fellowships, Government, Public Administration, Public Policy, Public Service

One of the best ways to get your foot in the door to a career in government is through a local or state government professional fellowship program. One of the best is the Capital Fellows Program, which offers college graduates unique experiences in policymaking and development within the California state government. Fellows work as full-time, paid public policy assistants to top ranking government officials while assisting with tasks such as drafting and analyzing legislation, writing speeches, conducting policy briefings, and working with court project development and implementation.

“The Capital Fellows Program gives fellows the unique opportunity to learn and craft public policy through hands-on work with elected officials and staff,” said California Assemblymember Jared Huffman, who represents Southern Sonoma and Marin counties in the state legislature. “The program provides a challenging, professional work experience that serves as the foundation for successful careers in both the public and private sectors.” Read more. 

Program brochures and applications are available at the Center for California Studies. Applications for the 2012-2013 Capital Fellows Program are due Wednesday, February 22, 2012. The only prerequisites for applicants are a bachelor’s degree (in any major) and a demonstrated interest in state government and public service. Recent graduates, post-graduate and mid-career applicants at least 20 years of age are welcome to apply.

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Another Reason to Check Out GWU

By On January 2, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Fellowships, Public Service, Social Entrepreneurship

The George Washington University in Washington, DC offers their students over 50 public service fellowships, including The Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning. This fellowship provides graduate and undergraduate students $10,000 to bring innovative ideas into practice that align with his or her academic goals.

“Our hope is that this award will help students make a difference.”, says GWU President, Steven Knapp. “Since arriving at George Washington three years ago, we have been struck by our students’ passion for changing the world and by the imaginative and intellectually serious way in which they harness that passion by developing concrete, innovative projects.”

GWU grad Melissa Eddison received the inaugural fellowship award for creating the GW Student Food Co-Op, which sells locally grown foods on the GWU campus. Melissa helped manage GWU’s community gardens and taught others how to grow and compost food.

If you are a GWU student, Knapp Fellowship proposals are due Friday, February 17.  Good luck!

 

How to Win a Boren Fellowship

By On December 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Fellowships, International Affairs, Linguistics, Peace & Security, Public Service, Tips

The Boren Awards for International Study, funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), provide fellowships of $20K to $30K to provide undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to study the language and culture of countries normally underrepresented in U.S. study abroad programs. It’s an opportunity to learn a less commonly taught language such as Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or Swahili, among others. In return, Boren Fellows are expected to work for at least one year in a Federal agency with national security responsibilities, such as the Departments of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department or the CIA. It’s no wonder the Boren Fellowship is a highly competitive award, providing an opportunity for both study abroad and a career in the Federal government.

The key to winning a Boren Fellowship is crafting an application that meets the needs of the program. The NSEP asks applicants to identify how their fellowship project will contribute to U.S. national security goals, as well further your academic and professional growth.  Even though the NSEP has a broad definition of national security, going beyond issues such as terrorism and peacekeeping to include topics such as sustainable development and population growth, it’s imperative that your fellowship essay has a strong focus on an issue that is of critical interest to U.S. national security. First, be well-read on security issues that are in the news: the New York Times and The Economist are a good place to start.

In your essay, specifically discuss how your project will contribute to goals that will make Americans and the homeland safer in the short and long-term. Focusing on a topic in current events can be an advantage, however more obscure security topics may be eye-catching if you know the topic well. Reach out to experts in your proposed topic area who can comment on your essay, including professors, journalists, academics in think tanks, and Federal government employees working in national security. Even though the NESP allows a broad definition for national security, they will more likely choose an applicant with a clearly defined topic that will advance U.S. security interests. For example, if you are studying public health and are proposing a topic such as infectious disease control in developing countries, be sure to find a U.S. hook, such as the impact of the regional insecurity caused by infectious disease on anti-terrorism efforts or the U.S. role in UN peacekeeping.

Also, in your essays, do not forget to discuss what you plan to do in your career after the fellowship and be specific. If you are not sure what you plan to do, choose your ideal path and discuss that goal with confidence that you will reach it. There are not many opportunities like the Boren Fellowship, so discuss how this unique fellowship will help you reach that goal. An applicant with clearly defined career goals is much more likely to secure a fellowship than an applicant who expresses that they are simply exploring options.

The Boren Fellowship deadline is January 31, 2012. If you have any questions about developing a strong essay, please submit a question on the “Ask a Fellow” form the to right and we’ll be happy to answer them!

 

© Victoria Johnson 2011, all rights reserved.

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Google Policy Fellows Fight for Internet Accessibility and Open Government

By On December 26, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Canada, Fellowships, Public Policy, Technology, United States

The Google Policy Fellowship program is like “Google’s Summer of Code with a public policy twist.” On this one-of-a-kind public policy fellowship, undergraduate, graduate, and law students spend 10 weeks in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Toronto, or Ottawa, Canada working at public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access policy, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy, and open government. Google provides a stipend of $7,500 USD to each Fellow for the summer.

More than a a dozen organizations participate in the program, including the American Library Association, Creative Commons, the Competitive Enterprise Institute or the New American Foundation through its Open Technology Initiative. The Open Technology Initiative recently received media attention for its “Internet in a briefcase” technology for the State Department, which will allow dissidents to make Internet networks portable across borders of repressive regimes in – literally – a suitcase.

This past May, Google also extended the fellowship program to the Asia Pacific region, providing opportunities to students in this region interested in legal and policy issues related to the open Internet.

Applications – including a resume and a 750-word personal statement, are due Feb. 3, 2012. Apply now!

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A Fellowship to Pursue a Noble Purpose

By On December 22, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Fellowships, Non-profit, Public Service, Rwanda

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc. (ISI) established the William E. Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose to support graduating college seniors who are committed to engaging directly in the civic life of their community, such as contributing to the development of new jobs and opportunities for others. The Simon Fellowship program provides unrestricted grant awards in the amounts of $40,000, $20,000 and $10,000 to those graduating college seniors who have demonstrated passion, dedication, a high capacity for self-direction, and originality in pursuit of a goal that will strengthen civil society.

Past Simon Fellowship winner, Evan Hewitt, a graduate of the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University, proposed to found the first public library of Rwanda, the Gahini Library.  English language books are an urgent need for the entire nation of Rwanda after the national secondary language officially changed from French to English in 2008. Teachers were required to teach in a language they didn’t know and are struggling as much as young students. The Gahini Library is helping to serve a community of over 2,000 students in a building donated by the Anglican Gahini diocese.

“[Rwandans] need books and we have books,” says Hewitt. With the library, his aim is “to take all the books that people are just throwing away or ignoring in the US and put them in a place where they’re going to be precious resources.” Read more.

Are you a graduating senior with a noble idea like Ewan? The next deadline for the William E. Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose is January 17, 2012.

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