Assistantships for the Public Policy Ph.D. Program
A limited number of assistantships are available. Most are awarded in the spring and begin in the following fall. Students wishing assistantships should check with the program director concerning availability. Assistantships usually include a stipend, tuition payments and an option for health insurance. All other miscellaneous and incidental fees are the responsibility of the student.
Graduate assistantships for Ph.D. students can last up to eight semesters (excluding summers).
Doctoral and Distinguished Fellowship (Added to assistantship)
Doctoral and Distinguished Fellowship funding is designed to be used to recruit highly qualified students into the public policy program. If we have an applicant who is exceptional and applies as a result of the normal recruitment processes and during the time frames described in our normal application process, then the application will be reviewed in the typical manner. It is recognized, however, that recruiting specifically targeted to highly qualified students who are to receive a Doctoral or Distinguished position sometime may not follow the same process as normal admissions.
Eligible students for the Doctoral Fellowships should have a master's GPA of 3.65 or higher and a GRE verbal plus quantitative score of at least 1100. They should have a GRE writing score of 5.0 or higher. For the Distinguished Doctoral Fellow, the master's GPA should be 3.80 or higher and the V/Q score 1200. The GRE writing should be 5.5 or 6.0.
Doctoral fellowships are $5,000 in addition to the base assistantship of $10,000. Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships are $20,000 on the base $10,000.
It should be understood that an existing $10,000 assistantship must be available to "match" the fellowships above. Even though a student may wish to enter the program with the above qualifications, there may not be a base assistantship available to make this possible.
Process for College Based Assistantships
College Based Funding and Assistantship Duties
Consistent with agreements with college deans, students with assistantships which are funded by a particular college will work primarily under the supervision of that college's policy faculty members.
Selection of Students For College Based Assistantships
Students interested in college-based assistantships should complete a graduate assistantship application. The program director will discuss the applications with the appropriate policy Ph.D. faculty in the college awarding the assistantships. Recommendations will then be forwarded to the appropriate dean.
Assistantships Funded by the Graduate School
Graduate School Funding and Assistantship Duties
Assistantships sponsored by the graduate school will be designed to meet student needs as well as the needs of the policy Ph.D. program as a whole or to meet special recruitment concerns. Assignment of these students to particular faculty members will be based on these criteria.
Selection of Students For Graduate School Funded Assistantships
Students interested in these assistantships should complete a graduate assistantship application. The program director, the Dean and the Associate Dean of the Graduate School would together determine if there can be an appropriate match of student interests, program needs and funding source.
Grant or Research Based Assistantships
Assistantships arising from grant or research funding are sometimes possible. Students will work with faculty members and have duties and compensation determined by the grant or research situation.
SREB Assistantships for Minority Students
The Southern Regional Education Board applications are usually due on April 1.
Eligibility:
- Student must be an ethnic or racial minority.
- Student must be an Arkansas resident, and a U.S. citizen or resident alien.
- Student must have been admitted to the Ph.D. program, and must be no farther along than the first year.
- Student must agree to work in Arkansas when finished, if there is a job available, the student gets the job, and the salary is competitive.
Application: Send copies of our Graduate School application form (together with any additional forms that you may use), the student's transcript, and the recommendation letters submitted for admission. The student should write a cover letter explaining why she/he wants/needs the fellowship.
The student receives a stipend for 3 years, plus tuition paid for up to 5 years; plus the Graduate School has to agree to pick up the stipend for an additional 1-2 years.
Please contact the policy Ph.D. director for more information.
Note on summer school tuition:
The Graduate School pays a MAXIMUM of 8 hours of in-state tuition for 50% appointed graduate assistants who work the entire summer -- graduate assistants who take more than 8 hours during the summer must pay the extra tuition themselves. For graduate assistants who work a partial summer, we will pay a maximum of 4 in-state hours. 50% appointed graduate assistants must take a minimum of 3 hours of graduate credit during the summer.