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[autie13]

Hi,

I'll get right to the point.  I have 26k outstanding from undergrad and Master's degrees.  Now I'm thinking about going back for an EdD.  It would require two solid years of coursework.  After that I'd be ABD and could get a job while I do my dissertation.

I have two kids under 4 (one is special needs to boot) and right now have a position where I make 30k.  I"ve looked high and low for scholarships, but very few are offered for EdD degrees.

Other than loans do I have any other options?  I filled out my FAFSA but according to them I make a billion dollars and will qualify for nothing.

[post_doc4now]

Between my stipend for being a TA and my spouses salary.  For the first couple of years I also had to take out student loans but learned to live without for the last few so I wasn't adding on to the debt.

I don't know much about Ed programs, can you get an assistantship?

[zharkov]

Find an employer who pays for some or most of your schooling.

It's been a while, but I think my employer paid all my MA tuition and about 80 pct of the PhD tuition.  Although it was a few years back, and many employers are not that generous, keep that option in mind.

About getting an EdD, are you reasonably certain that it will lead to a job that pays you enough more to pay back the loans you take out for the degree, say over 5 or 8 years? 

[scheherazade]

I'm surprised you didn't qualify for aid.  When I was making about the same amount with two kids, my EFC was about 1K per year.  Are you certain you filled it out correctly?  I'm not being condescending, I'm just surprised.

[vardahilwen]

I have an assistantship, and I also take out loans.  Wish I could do it without the loans, but can't live on $1000 a month :)

[miraceli]

I lived on the assistantships alone. Coming from aonther country, I was not allowed to have any kind of work. Now I am glad that I was not eligible for any student loans either (for not being a citizen). I managed to survive, although at some cost to my social life: not enough money to go bar hopping with other grad students, almost two years without going to the movies, etc...

[dr_prephd]

Hi,

I'll get right to the point.  I have 26k outstanding from undergrad and Master's degrees.  Now I'm thinking about going back for an EdD.  It would require two solid years of coursework.  After that I'd be ABD and could get a job while I do my dissertation.

I have two kids under 4 (one is special needs to boot) and right now have a position where I make 30k.  I"ve looked high and low for scholarships, but very few are offered for EdD degrees.

Other than loans do I have any other options?  I filled out my FAFSA but according to them I make a billion dollars and will qualify for nothing.

I'm in Ed., also, and I'm paying through a combination of loans, employer contribution, and my own money. When I was checking out the Survey of Earned Doctorates online (a helpful forumite pointed it out to me), I noticed that the trend in Ed. is for very few assistantships, scholarships, etc., since the majority of the candidates continue to work in the field while doing the doctoral work.

About getting an EdD, are you reasonably certain that it will lead to a job that pays you enough more to pay back the loans you take out for the degree, say over 5 or 8 years? 

I recently saw a DOE policy position advertised requiring a freshly-minted EdD and starting in the low $110,000s. And they weren't asking for much experience, either. High school principals are making more than that in some urban areas.

[larryc]

Could you land a job at a university now, maybe in administration, at a place that would help you pay for the degree or that offered discounted tuition for employees? The assistant secretary in my department stuck it out here for years because of the 50% tuition waiver. The month she graduated she quit for a much better job!

[renee]

I'm surprised you didn't qualify for aid.  When I was making about the same amount with two kids, my EFC was about 1K per year.  Are you certain you filled it out correctly?  I'm not being condescending, I'm just surprised.

I'm wondering if something is wrong with their algorithm. I just filled out the FAFSA and it claims that my EFC is greater than my adjusted gross income for 2007 (which was less than the OP's though I have no kids). I plan to go through it again once they've "processed" it and it becomes available for correcting since I may have put something in the wrong place accidentally. But I'm pretty sure I filled in the boxes as they told me to...

LarryC's suggestion is a good one. I know several people who have earned degrees via university tuition benefits.

[geonerd]

Ask the director of the graduate program if you can apply for a graduate assistantship. The stipend may or may not be great, but they typically include a tuition waiver.

[nomad]

I am in Ed as well. PhD program. The University gives all ed students who ask a 20% fellowship. I also have an outside scholarship, the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship, which pays for a hefty portion. My advice is to really really search for scholarships. They are out there but you have to dig deep.  I got mine based on the fact that I have bipolar disorder.  Who knew that the one thing that made my life miserable for so many years, is now making my life easier.

If you find a scholarship opportunity work carefully on any required essays. That will make or break it for you.

From what I have seen many ed programs don't provide funding because they have students who are currently working in the field.  Some, however, do offer fellowships but only those which are heavy on research. If you are looking for an EdD, which has limited research, you will probably strike out at obtaining funding from a university. Your only option is outside scholarship, loans, employer paid, or out of pocket. If you want a chance at funding through the university find a PhD program which is strong on research and start there.

[alwaysanon]

I was very lucky that my department decided to award me a memorial fellowship. That takes care of most of my tuition (my parents pay the last few thousand from my college fund that they started when I was a baby, so very many years ago) and includes a modest stipend for living expenses. I supplement that by adjuncting a class or two each semester at a local university. And I have a non-academic spouse who makes decent money, which is why we're only sorta poor, not dirt poor.

Have you asked the schools to which you're applying whether scholarship opportunities are available? If you're a fantastic candidate, a school will sometimes make sure you get the appropriate financial aid.

[philoctetes]

Before you borrow any money, remember EdDs are one of the lowest paying doctorates you can get, in fact I have not checked lately but I am pretty sure it is by far the lowest.

If you are interested in administration, think about going into a Business PhD.

If you are interested in education research, think about a PhD in a cognate field like psychology or sociology, you will likely get a better education and more developed research skills.

[dr_prephd]

Before you borrow any money, remember EdDs are one of the lowest paying doctorates you can get, in fact I have not checked lately but I am pretty sure it is by far the lowest.

If you are interested in administration, think about going into a Business PhD.

If you are interested in education research, think about a PhD in a cognate field like psychology or sociology, you will likely get a better education and more developed research skills.

Except that education majors have a 95% employment rate after graduation, while sociology majors are hovering at around 70%.

Here's the link for the 2006 Survey of Earned Doctorates if anyone is interested:
http://www.norc.org/NR/rdonlyres/C22A3F40-0BA2-4993-A6D3-5E65939EEDC3/0/06SRFinalVersion.pdf

[oldadjunct]

Your first indication that you have no place in an over crowded field is that an institution is not willing, at a minimum, to waive your tuition.