PHD.....is it possible to find grants/loans

[momxx5]

DH face job elimination 2 yrs ago. He then went to an accredited college to obtain certification to become a professor at a private college. He has already earned his MBA at that school.

He is under yearly contract making over 75% less that his previous career. However in our area/county unemployment rates are soaring so he is lucking to have a job with health insurance.

If he was able to get his PHD, which physically and mentally would not be a problem them he would be able to apply for a tenure position.

Big problem: finances!!!
We simply cannot in any way afford for him to get his PHD.

I was wondering if anyone knew of grants/scholarships/loans, etc that would make it possible for him to obtain his PHD.

Thanks in advance.

 

[okeydokey]

I suggest that he make an appointment with the financial aid office at the university he wants to intend.

 

[TAKitty]

Most of the PhD programs I've looked at offer stipends. You get your classes for free, but you have to teach undergrad classes. If he is already at a college, they might have tuition reimbursement programs too.

 

[DawnM]

Couldn't he find a more lucrative job (and secure) with an MBA than teaching?

 

[allison443]

DH face job elimination 2 yrs ago. He then went to an accredited college to obtain certification to become a professor at a private college. He has already earned his MBA at that school.

He is under yearly contract making over 75% less that his previous career. However in our area/county unemployment rates are soaring so he is lucking to have a job with health insurance.

If he was able to get his PHD, which physically and mentally would not be a problem them he would be able to apply for a tenure position.

Big problem: finances!!!
We simply cannot in any way afford for him to get his PHD.

I was wondering if anyone knew of grants/scholarships/loans, etc that would make it possible for him to obtain his PHD.

Thanks in advance.

Has he checked with the school's financial aid office? Or just look on their website, usually things like you're asking about are listed there.
Good luck!

 

[Fyrefly]

@Dawn you don't get more secure than a tenured professor. Crapton of work to get there and it's not an easy job, but it's literally impossible to lose your job once you're in.

@OP what major are we talking?

I'm an engineering grad student (not allowed to say I'm a PhD candidate until I pass the exams for it), and for every science oriented major I've ever been in contact with, you get a PhD by having an advisor then you either apply for grant money to do your research (which your professor can help with by having contacts, etc.) and that money should include your tuition and stipend, or you work off of your professor's money and do his research. Then you write the thesis, and done. In fact it's a pretty much hard and fast rule that you don't pay for your own PhD if you're in a technical field. It's like funding your own research, kwim? Nobody would take you seriously.

If we're talking like business or history or something you generally have to pay your own way, and there really is no point in getting one unless you plan on being a professor, which he does - but I would consider googling some back to school grants and possibly talking with an academic advisor about your options before jumping into that.

 

[DawnM]

Well, more lucrative then.

OP's husband is looking at a good 4-8 years of schooling to get that tenure and there is no guarantee he will even get it.

Dawn

@Dawn you don't get more secure than a tenured professor. Crapton of work to get there and it's not an easy job, but it's literally impossible to lose your job once you're in.

@OP what major are we talking?

I'm an engineering grad student (not allowed to say I'm a PhD candidate until I pass the exams for it), and for every science oriented major I've ever been in contact with, you get a PhD by having an advisor then you either apply for grant money to do your research (which your professor can help with by having contacts, etc.) and that money should include your tuition and stipend, or you work off of your professor's money and do his research. Then you write the thesis, and done. In fact it's a pretty much hard and fast rule that you don't pay for your own PhD if you're in a technical field. It's like funding your own research, kwim? Nobody would take you seriously.

If we're talking like business or history or something you generally have to pay your own way, and there really is no point in getting one unless you plan on being a professor, which he does - but I would consider googling some back to school grants and possibly talking with an academic advisor about your options before jumping into that.

 

[Fyrefly]

Well, more lucrative then.

OP's husband is looking at a good 4-8 years of schooling to get that tenure and there is no guarantee he will even get it.

Dawn

Agreed. Which is why I suggested at the end that OP really think about if he wants to be a professor if the degree is not technical.

Technical degrees should be at no cost to OP's husband and will take 4-8 years of schooling. After that, the decision to work his living butt off 4-5 more years to get tenure is an option, or go into industry or something with a competitive career.

Non-technical, pay for the PhD or get loans/grants from other sources, 4-8 years of schooling, work butt off 4-5 more years to get tenure because that's what you want if you're getting a liberal arts PhD. So you have to really want to specifically be a professor to go through it.

It's an admirable goal if he wants to be a professor and I say go for it if it's what he really wants, but it should be reiterated that it is not a simple move like a 2-year evening MBA program that can be taken lightly as a quick way to boost one's hiring ability in a tough economy.

 

[tasha99]

Don't most programs give their PhD candidates graduate teaching fellowships? They generally cover tuition, a stipend to live on, and health insurance.

 

[DawnM]

Right.

I applied (and was accepted) to a PhD program. It would cost me $0 (and would pay me a small amount as I received a fellowship) but would "cost" me about 150% of my waking hours for 4-5 years!

I decided not to pursue it at that time for list of reasons.

Dawn

Agreed. Which is why I suggested at the end that OP really think about if he wants to be a professor if the degree is not technical.

Technical degrees should be at no cost to OP's husband and will take 4-8 years of schooling. After that, the decision to work his living butt off 4-5 more years to get tenure is an option, or go into industry or something with a competitive career.

Non-technical, pay for the PhD or get loans/grants from other sources, 4-8 years of schooling, work butt off 4-5 more years to get tenure because that's what you want if you're getting a liberal arts PhD. So you have to really want to specifically be a professor to go through it.

It's an admirable goal if he wants to be a professor and I say go for it if it's what he really wants, but it should be reiterated that it is not a simple move like a 2-year evening MBA program that can be taken lightly as a quick way to boost one's hiring ability in a tough economy.

 

[momxx5]

People in our county are losing jobs at astonishing rates. The largest employer is the University. It does not have a PHD program.

The business that DH has been in for over 20 yrs is dying. Textiles are out the window.....or I mean sent to China.

The PHD would provide an awesome large salary, tenure and the advantage of our children attending that university for free!

 

[tar heel]

Would the school he is at now actually hold his job while he went off to get a PhD? Colleges and universities are cutting like crazy, so there would not be a guarantee of a job even with a doctorate, in most fields. Tenure isn't automatic either, so you would have that hurdle to deal with after he got a job.

You should have plenty of time to explore this since applications for this year would have been due long ago. Most PhD students I know are able to support themselves with their stipend, but a family with five kids would be another matter. Only a handful of universities in North Carolina have PhD programs, and some are extremely hard to get into -- something to keep in mind as you explore this option.

 

[Fyrefly]

momxx5 I think we need a little more information.

You say "the university does not have a PhD program" So are we talking a community college or something? Because most decent 4-years have PhD students. It's how you get the money in. And if it's a community college, are they really offering 'tenure' in the sense we understand it?

If he has to go to another university to do the PhD, is that going to involve travel costs? Relocation? Dawn is completely right when she says grad school is brutal. I know it puts so much on my life I barely have time for a thing. You'll likely be functioning as a single mother essentially during this thing, and what income he may bring in from a stipend may be even less than what you have now, because the main point of a stipend is it means your salary is basically your free tuition. Can you afford that? Will the university you work at now hold his job? Someone leaving to pursue a degree is a pretty cheap way to save a few thousand, and I don't know a single school that hasn't had it's budget slashed at least once (most multiple) in the past few years.

At the very least please tell us what he's studying. The advice for saving up between liberal arts and the sciences is huge and I don't know that any of us can help until we know what he's even going for.

I'm not saying don't do it - I'm just saying be aware that the awesome rose colored future you have planned will probably take 10 years of work to get to.

 

[NotUrsula]

Use your DH's proxy account to log in to the university's library and look at back issues of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Do searches on your DH's field and see what the prospects are.

I'm sure he's probably stuck in adjunct hell right now, but more and more schools simply are not hiring fresh Ph.D's on the tenure track anymore in social sciences and liberal arts, unless you have a very impressive publication record. Departments all over the country are very top-heavy because the tenured faculty cannot afford to retire. If you think it's bad being stuck being an adjunct without a Ph.D, you don't want to try being stuck being an adjunct WITH one.

 

[tar heel]

I disagree that most decent four-year schools have PhD programs. Lots of liberal arts colleges don't have any grad programs and some pretty good schools have few or no doctoral programs.

 

[crisi]

I disagree that most decent four-year schools have PhD programs. Lots of liberal arts colleges don't have any grad programs and some pretty good schools have few or no doctoral programs.

And not all Universities offer every field of study at a PhD level. I doubt if ANY university offers EVERY field of study at a PhD level.

 

[rnorwo1]

I rec'd my PhD 4 years ago in a social sciences/mental health field. I received a stipend ($12k) per year and a graduated tuition reduction (1/4 per year until the 4th year was free.) This was in exchange for me working as a research assistant. There were only 3 offered for each cohort so it was pretty competitive, and my understanding is that there are even fewer now, because of budget cuts. I didn't use any loans but some of my fellow students did, so I think they're pretty standard everywhere. I could also claim tuition, fees, books on my taxes... I think it was called a lifetime learning credit, or something like that, but I'm not sure if that's still available now.

I would urge you to heed pp's advice about researching whether or not this really makes sense for your family, because it will definitely affect your entire family. I pursued mine because I wanted to be active in my field in developing new programs and doing outcome research for best practices. The degree has not only allowed me to do that, which makes me happy and satisfied in my career, but it has also more than doubled my income potential...if I ever decided to stop working with impoverished people, I can make a lot of money, but, to my DH's dismay, I am very happy with my current area It has also opened so many doors for me.... I know that if I lose my job today or decide to switch tracks, there are a dozen other opportunities for me tomorrow.

That is definitely not the case in every field though, regardless of what kind of degree (masters or PhD) you have. When I go to conferences, there are dozens and dozens of candidates lined up at university booths trying to get interviews, so faculty positions are not easy to get these days.
Even in my field, people who chose non-specialized, general practitioner type areas are having trouble finding decent positions. We also had a few people who entered the PhD program with me who said they were doing it for things like job security, adding prestige, their love of learning, etc.... not ONE of them survived the program. Without a clear goal that you know, without a doubt, will reward you in some way, it's just way too difficult of a process to go through and may be both a time and budget buster.

Good luck, with whatever you decide!

 

[DPK400]

Just out of curiosity, what college is this if you can say? Most PhD tenure track (which is years By the way) jobs aren't "awesome large salary" jobs typically unless it is in a cutting edge field where it is hard to find teachers (who would normally be making a lot more in private industry).

 

[Swan4Me]

The PHD would provide an awesome large salary, tenure and the advantage of our children attending that university for free!

Are you sure? My BIL was a tenured Prof at a state University and his kids didt go for free

 

[Swan4Me]

Just out of curiosity, what college is this if you can say? Most PhD tenure track (which is years By the way) jobs aren't "awesome large salary" jobs typically unless it is in a cutting edge field where it is hard to find teachers (who would normally be making a lot more in private industry).

I agree-my BIL (the PHD Professor) makes his money doing consulting work in his field in the private sector -on the side. And this was after teaching in his field for many years.