<p>I am interested in getting a Ph.D at UCLA after I graduate. (probably something like cellular biology or molecular biology, etc). I am just wondering if their Ph.D programs are always fully funded(?).</p>
<p>It’s not free. it’s more of a tradeoff. You get free tuition + money for living expenses and a masters/doctorate, and they get someone cheaper than a PHD to help teach the large amount of undergrads in section.</p>
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That’s assuming a teaching assistantship. PhD students can also get research assistantships. Same idea though, just replace “cheaper for teaching” with “cheaper for researching”</p>
<p>To answer the original question, PhD students (from what I understand - I’m going elsewhere for grad school) can usually secure one of these forms of assistantships without much trouble, especially in engineering.</p>
<p>How about for a masters degree? Do you have to actually pay for that?</p>
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Generally speaking, yes. Especially with the financial situation, MS students almost never get funding.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that there are also no grants available, or any other financial aid from UCLA besides loans. Is that true? </p>
<p>How about for an MBA program?</p>
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<p>PhD students are automatically funded in some way. Usually the funding comes from the department (GSR or RA), from a TA-ship, or from a fellowship. </p>
<p>MS students who choose to take the courses-option will NOT get any funding. The only way you can get funding for an MS is by doing research or a TA-ship. For the research path, you will graduate upon completion of a thesis. The students who choose this option will be funded through a GSR position (~$1500/mo to start out) or if lucky, through a department fellowship (Requiring one quarter of TA-ship). TA-ships are not too common among MS students, but it is still possible to obtain one if you are a good student. The professor will have to nominate you. The salary is very good, it is about $3000-5000 per quarter, I don’t remember the number.</p>
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There is no “financial aid” in graduate school except for loans.</p>
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If you’re currently employed by a company, there is a chance the company will pay for you to go to school. The downfall though, is that you must graduate within a certain period of time. That means you don’t get to perform research, which is probably the more rewarding feature of graduate school.</p>
<p>If this does not apply for you, then you must pay the tuition/living expenses by yourself. You will be offered loans. If that does not sound attractive, then go find a job. Some people decide to work first for a few years, save money, and then get the M.S/PhD. That is probably the best thing to do, as long as you can maintain the motivation to go to school after you start working.</p>
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Med, Law, MBA, you foot the bill.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your replies. While we’re on the subject, what do Ph.D / M.S. students do during the summer? How common is it to work during the summers (in industry) as opposed to continuing doing research / RAing / TAing?</p>
<p>I’m about to start an MS program, and have done an internship every summer since I started undergrad. I plan to do a 5th and final internship next year. It makes sense for me because I ultimately do want to end up in industry.</p>
<p>However, if you’re a PhD student, I’ve heard that you pretty much have to do what your advisor wants. If he wants you to do research during the summer, you’re pretty much obligated to (this is one of the downsides to being funded).</p>
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<p>When you say automatically funded, do you mean the tuition is waived for all PhD students, or in addition to that do all PhD students automatically get either get a TA or RA position to cover living expenses?</p>
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<p>You are committed to research in the lab during the summers, unless your advisor is older than 65 and does not care about anything anymore. Summer is the best time to make progress because you will have all day and night to work. During the school year, you have to attend classes, at least during the first few years of your PhD. </p>
<p>Even if you are M.S student doing a thesis, the same commitment applies. Summer internships are usually ruled out for the students committed to research (the research is equivalent to your “internship”).</p>
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<p>Tuition is never waived for graduate students. It is earned through a fellowship, RA, GSR, or TA. Someone has to pay for your tuition. A fellowship could be through the department or an external source (company, research foundation, government). That is probably the first source a professor looks into. Some agencies offer $30,000+ per year. Some just a few thousand. The department fellowship covers about $26K or so. If your rent is not too expensive, it is enough to cover tuition, living expenses, and leave you a few thousand dollars to pocket. Even more if you live at home. If you would like a department fellowship (M.S or PhD students qualify), then act quickly. Each professor can only nominate one student per year, and a decision is made by May or earlier.</p>
<p>If you cannot find a fellowship, then there is a possibility that the professor gives the student a RA position. However, I think each professor has a quota on the number of RA’s that can be appointed. Also, I think RA’s are more expensive to hire than GSR (Graduate Student Researcher). Pretty much any graduate student can get a GSR position, as long as the professor is willing to pay for him/her to do research. It is the “cheapest” option, out of the ones I discussed, for the professor. GSR is probably the most common position, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Not all PhD students get appointed as TA’s, but most of them are at least for one term. It helps the professor “save money” because for that quarter, the professor does not have to pay the GSR/RA stipend to the student. Instead, the department gives the student the paycheck. From the student/professor point of view, it’s “win-win”. The student makes a few thousand dollars more from the TA-ship as opposed to the GSR. The professor does not need to pay the student during that quarter. However, some students do not like teaching or do not have the language skills to do so.</p>
Not true that MS students cannot get any fundings. I am UCLA student getting my master’s degree through a fellowship that covers all of my tuition and fees. Also, you can get TA/GSR positions that can pay and waive your tuitions at the same time! So, don’t scare away from applying to ms programs!