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[espabila]

Hi all,

I've been accepted to my first-choice MA program, but with zero funding. On top of that it's a fancy private university, and expensive.

I've seen many threads emphasizing that one should never go to graduate school without funding, but my impression is that posters tend to equate "grad school" with "PhD program." Not sure if that's accurate or not.

I've been out of school working for several years and am financially prepared (with some help from family) to fund myself if necessary, but would really prefer not to go this route. What I'm not sure about is this: how common is it really for terminal MA students to receive funding in the form of scholarships, assistantships, etc.? Would it be inappropriate to inquire about how many of my fellow acceptees were offered funding? I would really like to hear from those of you who have experience with terminal MA programs.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[zharkov]

Let me add two corollaries to the rule of thumb about funding.

1.  If the master's positions you for a job that pays enough to pay back your school loan in 3 to 5 years, then go for it.  Example, MBA..

2. If the degree is required for entry to a profession that you trained for as an undergrad, for example K12 teaching, then get it  Example, MEd in states that require it for full licensure.

I don't think many MAs would meet these points, but you can get better advice if you mention your field and job plans post-MA.

[foxy_oxie]

Am about $12000 in the hole from my masters (worth it b/c I wanted to do a phd and obv couldn't do so otherwise). I went to a program in which there are a bazillion admissions every year and did not get offered funding.
Are there any chances that you can e.g. shop yourself around to other depts and get a TAship even if one in your dept is not forthcoming? I managed this in my second year. Also, who are you going to be working with - is s/he in the middle of a funded project and possibly in need of a research assistant? (although I would wait til you start skl and start to build a relationship with this person before asking that).  Also ask the grad secretary if there is a waiting list for funding opportunities for 2008 starts and are you on that waiting list (ideally enough "no"s to the acceptance letter = you closer to the top of that list).  See if there are student part time jobs e.g. shelving books or AV support or such. These kinds of jobs don;t pay great but at least they are reserved for students and offer flexi hours. 

[patsy_klein]

I did a terminal M.A. at a state school to figure out if I wanted to pursue academia further. I had no funding my first year, however, the tuition was low and I already lived in state. I worked part-time and took out loans my first year, and my second year I was rewarded with two dept. scholarships that I applied for, as well as a year of teaching. Now I am in in a fully funding Ph.D. program, and my loans are in deferment. I don't know if you are in the humanities like I am, but getting funded M.A.s seems to be rare here, and even though everyone says to not go into debt for an M.A., sometimes you have to use one as a stepping stone. My undergrad and Ph.D. programs are in very different disciplines so I needed the M.A. as a bridge between them. And at the time I applied to my M.A. I really had no idea I would eventually go on to Ph.D work. I would apply to internal and external scholarships and look for opportunities on campus to teach and serve as a research assistant. It might take you a little longer to finish if you work 20 hours a week, but your piggy bank will thank you in the long run. It's much more likely that you will have to eat the costs your first year, and then apply like mad for funding for your second year. Needless to say, kick ass in your first year so your record will show that you deserve their top funding later on.

[espabila]

Thanks to all for the replies so far.

The question is not "how do I pay for my MA?" As I said, I am fortunate to have the funds available to pay tuition outright with both my own savings and family help. That said, I am feeling scared off by the high, high private-school tuition and balking right now at shelling out so much hard-earned money, which is why I applied early in hopes of receiving merit-based scholarship and/or assistantship funds. In the acceptance letter, I was told that "at this time we are unable to offer you financial aid" due to "limited resources" and a "competitive applicant pool." This says to me that other MA prospects accepted to the same program were offered assistance of some kind.

I have a few weeks before I have to notify the school of my intent to enroll or not. In the meantime my question is simply whether, having been offered no money, I am in the minority or the majority. Additionally, is it appropriate or not for me to ask this question of the grad director? I don't want to be the only sucker in my program paying full tuition out of pocket.

Zharkov: this is an ESL teacher training program. My goal is to finish with the qualifications necessary to teach ESL in a higher-ed setting both in the US and in Europe. I am also hoping to open the door to research in the future (think nonprofit/government researcher rather than university professor).

[ernest1]

None of us can't answer your question, OP, but my best guess from doing grad admissions is that, as an unfunded student, you are in the majority. MAs are a good money-maker for many institutions, and funding is not, in my experience, the norm.

[t_r_b]

What ernest1 said: the percentage of grad students funded varies immensely from program to program, so no one outside of that particular program can tell you whether you're in the minority.

Having said that, the bit about MAs being a cash cow is especially true of applied, career-prep MAs (such as ESL teacher training), as opposed to academic/research-focused MAs, for the simple reason that an MA in English lit does not prepare you for gainful employment, while an MA in ESL teaching does. So I'd be very surprised if this program offers funding to many, if any, of its students.

It's worth keeping in mind, though, that even though you haven't been offered funding upon admission, you may be able to find other sources of funding (especially assistantships) if you seek them out. If you do, you could end up paying much much less than two full years of tuition. Of course, the tradeoff is the amount of work involved in the assistantship, but bear in mind that even if the program had offered you funding, it would almost certainly have taken the form of assistantships.

[dr_strangelove]

I have a few weeks before I have to notify the school of my intent to enroll or not. In the meantime my question is simply whether, having been offered no money, I am in the minority or the majority. Additionally, is it appropriate or not for me to ask this question of the grad director? I don't want to be the only sucker in my program paying full tuition out of pocket.

Following up on the previous two posts, in all likelihood you can answer this question based solely on the number of students in the program. If the number is close to 10, then probably 50% - 100% (at most) are being funded. If the number is close to 100, then probably 5% - 10% (at most) are being funded.

[zharkov]

Zharkov: this is an ESL teacher training program. My goal is to finish with the qualifications necessary to teach ESL in a higher-ed setting both in the US and in Europe. I am also hoping to open the door to research in the future (think nonprofit/government researcher rather than university professor).

Perhaps the word to the wise is to be sure that the demand for ESL teachers is strong enough so that it is likely you'd get a job.  Ask the school about placement.

About research, in almost any field, you need a PhD to be considered a "researcher" or "principal investigator," although people with master's degrees are often research assistants.

[crowie]

I have a few weeks before I have to notify the school of my intent to enroll or not. In the meantime my question is simply whether, having been offered no money, I am in the minority or the majority. Additionally, is it appropriate or not for me to ask this question of the grad director? I don't want to be the only sucker in my program paying full tuition out of pocket.

Personally, I don't see the harm in asking.  I wouldn't ask 'Am I in the majority or the minority?' but I might ask something like 'Is there any funding  available in this program or is this the standard package for all students?'  Of course they could always lie but I'm not sure there's much you could do about that.  Also, I'm not sure that there is that high a motivation to lie.  Usually grad programs simply have X number of funding packages and X number of unfunded students and it's not something they need to keep secret because it's not particularly negotiable.

If you don't want them to know why you are asking, you could ask how you could improve your application with the intention of reapplying next year in the hope of getting funding (even if that's not your intention, you could phrase it that way to them).  Surely then they would have to tell you whether there is such a thing or not, and maybe even give you some percentages.

A way to find out without asking the director is to ask the program if they would be willing to give you the email or phone number of a current student to talk to you about how they like the program.  You could ask that student about the various funding packages and what seems like the norm.

From ox_fish:

Ask the grad secretary if there is a waiting list for funding opportunities for 2008 starts and are you on that waiting list (ideally enough "no"s to the acceptance letter = you closer to the top of that list).

Although this suggestion may have seemed like a suggestion on 'how to pay' which you have assured us is not your problem (lucky you!), it is also a way of finding out if there is such a list at all and possibly even how long it is, ie. answering your question.

In my limited experience funding for MA programs is rare, especially funding that goes beyond tuition remission.

[watermarkup]

When my wife got her MA in ESL, she didn't get funding when first admitted to the program, but then an opportunity opened up to TA in another department, which came with tuition remission and TA wages. She found that most students got TA funding for the second year, and after the first year she TA's in her own program.

Is the MA program connected to an English language program for foreign students? That's the real cash elephant in the room. At my wife's grad institution, there was a program for foreign students, whether attending the university or in preparation (or forlorn hope) of doing so that brought in a lot of money and funded a lot of TAships. Getting a TAship the second year seemed all but universal, but I think the program wanted to make sure their TAs were competent first.

Keep in mind that going into serious debt for an MA in ESL is not a good idea in many situations. Starting salaries in the U.S. are dismal, the last my wife checked. The situation may be somewhat better abroad (think Qatar), but in Europe and Asia you'll be competing with a lot of expatriates looking for a bit of cash, or recent college grads who have completed a 2-week proprietary training course.

[prytania3]

Let me add two corollaries to the rule of thumb about funding.

1.  If the master's positions you for a job that pays enough to pay back your school loan in 3 to 5 years, then go for it.  Example, MBA..

2. If the degree is required for entry to a profession that you trained for as an undergrad, for example K12 teaching, then get it  Example, MEd in states that require it for full licensure.

I don't think many MAs would meet these points, but you can get better advice if you mention your field and job plans post-MA.

Don't forget the MAc; otherwise, I agree and chime in.