How to Fund PhD Programs
A Ph.D or doctoral degree, can be very valuable in the job market and can be essential for those who wish to become professors. For many fields, there are significant sources of grants and funding for doctoral degrees. These can include positions as graduate assistants, teaching assistants or private sector work. Similarly, there are significant scholarships in certain fields, notably sciences and religion, that require little more than an application. Occassionally, there are scholarships or grants (almost always merit-based, unlike the need-based focus of lower levels of education) and these sometimes are linked to writing/research awards. Finally, loans can be obtained from public and private programs, though obviously this money must be repayed.
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Instructions
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Financing a PhD
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Seek graduate assistantships. In most major universities, doctoral students may work as teaching assistants or research assistants. Often, these positions will pay for the tuition charged by the school and will include a small stipend to cover basic living expenses.
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Apply for jobs outside the university. Especially for doctoral students who have completed required coursework but who need to complete the dissertation, outside employment can be very common. In some cases, this may include working as a professor or instructor at a college where the student may stay upon completion of the dissertation. For students who are not this far along in the doctoral program, jobs may exist with a wide array of potential areas.
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Apply for loans. Loans have the obvious downside of requiring repayment. But, doctoral students often find them necessary to cover basic living expenses even when teaching assistant and other jobs are available. Government subsidized loans generally offer the lowest interest rates and can be researched in the university's financial aid office.
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