Just got accepted into my Top choice PhD program

[ucunc156]

i had no idea PhD students even got tuition waivers (I assume not all majors offer this?) until last year when my gf told me she wanted to do her PhD in chemistry. I told her grad school is expensive as fuck and shes already in student loans and to not be lazy and go get a job. she told me she will have her tuition paid for, and make nearly 20k. i said okay and had egg on my face.

but from what I have gathered, not all phd programs do this.

 

[Yardener]

Yeah, many PhD programs offer stipends (at least in the States) and free or greatly subsidized tuition. Other graduate programs, no way, that's more loans. But, w/ the stipend it comes w/ the extra job of teaching lab &/or being a TA for an intro undergraduate class.

 

[ucunc156]

Gotcha. So all of grad school is free for chemistry because chemistry combines the MS and phd?

 

[Yardener]

Gotcha. So all of grad school is free for chemistry because chemistry combines the MS and phd?

Right - if you go into the PhD program direct from the BS or BA in college. And working as a TA &/or lab assistant

There's other routes. I was a Chem Major in undergrad, and a big drug company offered me a job out of college. The deal was they'd pay for me to get my Masters, while I worked in their lab. Then, if I was doing well, there'd be a promotion and they'd then put you through a PhD program (w/ the understanding you then work for them for X years).

I entertained that notion for all of about 5 seconds. But, a couple of my fellow Chem Majors went that route.

 

[UFCfightman**]

It absolutely is. I'm assuming you went straight for a PhD after undergrad?

nah I actually worked for a couple of years. I went to a top ivy undergrad so most of my classmates landed 100k+ jobs out of college, I had a decent gig too that was tough to give up, that's more what i was referring to.

 

[Prokofievian]

nah I actually worked for a couple of years. I went to a top ivy undergrad so most of my classmates landed 100k+ jobs out of college, I had a decent gig too that was tough to give up, that's more what i was referring to.

Oh I see. I've talked to some students at top technical schools in the States(Caltech for example), and it seems like no one goes for just their masters. So everyone gets picked up from their undergrad straight into a PhD program, but sacrifice a year which basically takes the place of a course-work masters. That's more what I was referring to. The fact that you didn't do an MSc. Doing MSc's is much more common in Canada, from what I have gleaned.

 

[MASShole]

i had no idea PhD students even got tuition waivers (I assume not all majors offer this?) until last year when my gf told me she wanted to do her PhD in chemistry. I told her grad school is expensive as fuck and shes already in student loans and to not be lazy and go get a job. she told me she will have her tuition paid for, and make nearly 20k. i said okay and had egg on my face.

but from what I have gathered, not all phd programs do this.

It's predominantly in the sciences.

It started in the 50s and 60s because the government wanted to keep up with the Soviets and so they started funding science programs. That has since expanded to almost all sciences.