PhD Funding
Mechanisms of financial support for PhD students include:
- University Fellowships
- Graduate Associateships (teaching and/or research) funded by the department or by a faculty grant
Prospective PhD students should discuss funding opportunities with their identified faculty advisor and/or the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.
Offers of admission to the PhD program typically include an offer of financial support from the Department for a minimum of four years for individuals who have a graduate degree (e.g., AuD or MA) or a minimum of five years for those without a graduate degree.
University Fellowships
The Ohio State University Graduate School offers a limited number of graduate fellowships awarded competitively each year to applicants who show exceptional potential for graduate study.
Applicants are nominated by the department; student’s cannot apply directly. Most graduate fellowships provide a full tuition and fee authorization, a stipend, and subsidized health insurance for at least a year.
Nominations for the Graduate School Fellowship competition are reserved for only a few highly qualified applicants.
The selection process is administered by the Graduate Studies Committee and is based on the applicant’s GPA, letters of recommendation, and strength of the applicant’s overall application (e.g., research, volunteer, and extra-curricular experiences).
Nominees to the fellowship competition are reviewed by members of the University-wide Fellowship Committee who make the final decision about the awards.
The most prestigious award that a graduate student can receive is the Presidential Fellowship.
The Presidential Fellowship is designed to support a student in their final year of graduate work while the student is completing their dissertation or a terminal degree project.
Students are nominated for this award by the Graduate Studies Committee. The Presidential Fellowship competition is held once annually during the Autumn semester.
Graduate Associateships (GA)
A limited number of Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA) and Research Associate (GRA) positions are available annually.
GA position assignments are made during spring semester for the following academic year by the Chair of the Department in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee.
PhD students are asked to submit their preference for GA positions to the PhD Coordinator and/or the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.
GA assignments are made in consultation with the student’s advisor with consideration of:
- The needs of the department
- The student’s preference
- The student’s need for teaching experience
GA positions are classified as 25% (10 hours/week or work) or 50% (20 hours/week of work).
A 50% appointment for autumn and spring semesters provides full tuition and fee authorization, a monthly stipend, and a summer term tuition waiver.
A 25% GA appointment pays a stipend (half the stipend of a 50% appointment) and 50% of the student’s tuition and fees.
A typical GA in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science is assigned to a 9-month appointment covering autumn and spring semesters.
Students on a 9-month appointment from August 16-May 15 receive the stipend paid in 9 equal installments.
A student on a 12-month appointment will be appointed from August 16-August 15 of the following year, with the stipend paid in 12 equal installments.
Periods of appointment will be explicit in any letter of offer.
Students with GA appointments must enroll for at least 12 credit hours of coursework during autumn and spring semesters, and 6 credit hours of coursework during summer term for semesters in which the position is held.
Post-candidacy PhD students must enroll in 3 credit hours per term.
Stipend levels for GA’s in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science are based on the stipend level set by the Graduate School.