The Graduate School finalized a new standardized method of awarding funds to sixth-year doctoral candidates yesterday. Funding available for sixth-year students used to depend on the size of the incoming graduate class, but the Grad School will now put aside a set amount of funding for sixth-year students who will be required to work as teaching assistants in return. The selection process for receiving this stipend will also be clarified.
The Grad School will start sending out information to fifth-year students this week, according to Peter Weber P'12, dean of the Grad School.
Students needing a sixth year to complete their dissertations can work as teaching assistants, though there are a limited number of these positions. In previous years, approximately half of applicants for teaching assistant positions were accepted.
"Students didn't know on what basis they were being evaluated, which left them anxious and worried," Weber said.
In addition, funding available for teaching assistant positions fluctuated from year to year. The sum was essentially the money "left over" in the budget after funding commitments to new students were fulfilled, Weber said.
Because available funds were dependent on first-year class size, fifth-year students experienced delays in planning for their sixth years because they had to wait for the University to finalize the first-year class yield. As a result, the University did not alert students of their funding until the end of May — and in some cases, not until September, Weber said.
Under the new system, some money will be allocated in advance. Though Weber declined to specify the amount, he said funding levels would be consistent with previous years. He added that he hopes individual departments will contribute to this support, allowing the Grad School to "stretch its dollars further."
The application process will require submission of a "dissertation completion proposal," in which fifth-year students describe their motivations for requesting an additional year of funding and set a concrete timeline for completion of their doctoral degrees. A dean-appointed committee will then review and decide on the proposals.
"There are many good reasons as to why a student wouldn't be done in five years," including the need to conduct extensive field research or learn a foreign language, Weber said.
The majority of students who request funding for a sixth year of doctoral work are in the social sciences and humanities — "areas where there is little external funding," Weber said. Additional funding is not as much of an issue in the life or physical sciences, he said, because professors often have grant money they can use to support their advisees.
Another key feature of the new sixth-year support program will be the flexibility of the awards, which can go toward the enrollment fee, health insurance expenses or an additional summer of support. Awards can be made for either one or two semesters, and the University will prioritize funding two students for one semester each rather than one student for the entire academic year.
The University currently guarantees five years of support to incoming graduate students.
Weber said the Grad School was cognizant of students' concern and tried to expedite the search for a solution. "Grad students have been eager to find out what's going on, so we decided to put this decision on the fast track," he said. The plan was presented to directors of graduate programs and other faculty members on Tuesday, and the decision became final yesterday after input was incorporated. Weber also met with a few groups of graduate students last week.
He said he hopes the changes to the sixth-year funding system will "provide transparency" to grad students and that the "clarity of rules will ease their minds."
