Engineering grad school stipends?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the availability and commonality of stipends and tuition waivers for graduate students in engineering programs, particularly in comparison to physics programs. Participants explore the funding landscape for both master's and PhD degrees in engineering, addressing variations based on degree type and institutional factors.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that while stipends and tuition waivers do exist for engineering graduate students, they are not as common as in physics, particularly for master's degrees.
  • Others challenge this view, suggesting that funded PhD positions are prevalent across various engineering fields and may even offer higher stipends than those in physics.
  • One participant notes that in Canada, funding availability varies significantly between thesis and non-thesis master's programs, with thesis programs typically offering some form of funding.
  • Another participant shares their personal experience of receiving a stipend, emphasizing that the availability of funding can depend heavily on the university, the advisor's resources, and specific research opportunities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the commonality of stipends in engineering graduate programs compared to physics, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the dependence on institutional factors, degree types, and individual circumstances, which may influence the availability of funding for graduate students in engineering.

Latecomer
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I always hear about physics PHD candidates receiving tuition waivers/stipends for grad school.
Does this happen in engineering grad school also? Is it as common?
 
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It happens, but it is not as common. It depends on what kind of degree you're going for; Masters degrees are not commonly funded. PhDs are, depending on where you go.
 
Is that true that it's not as common? That sounds wrong to me, if you consider all the engineering fields combined.

Every field has funded PhDs, science or not. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of engineering PhD stipends are higher than physics. Engineers are already employable with a BS so the grad school stipends should reflect that.
 
I thought that they would be about the same, as far as frequency. Regardless, they do exist, and provided you keep the grades, research, et al. it's entirely in the realm of possibility.
 
In Canada at least, it depends on the degree.

A thesis masters or phd would have some sort of funding. These are degrees in 'applied science.'

There is also a non-thesis masters, which is purely coursework, that you would be paying for. This is a terminal, professional degree in 'engineering.'
 
I'm going to get $28k in stipend.
 
gravenewworld said:
I'm going to get $28k in stipend.

Country? Specialization? Thesis/Non-thesis? Is this standard at your school?

Without context your post doesn't really help the OP. Also forces readers to make the assumption that you're even in engineering.
 
Latecomer said:
I always hear about physics PHD candidates receiving tuition waivers/stipends for grad school.
Does this happen in engineering grad school also? Is it as common?

That's what I had. For folks wanting to get a PhD in engineering, it's very common - I didn't know anyone who didn't do this.

It really depends though on the university, the professor, the funding he/she has and such. In my case my professor/adviser had a big buffer beyond what the university would fund based on his industry connections and contracting. We had a dozen people in his lab with all on an RA with full tuition and stipend. I even got onboard as an undergrad junior year with the full ride. That's probably not so common. But it happens.
 

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