Questions to Ask When Interviewing...

[ViridianMambo]

So, I'm interviewing at two schools in the next month, and I want to compile some questions. I've got a few gathered now, but if anyone can chime in with their two cents, that'd be great! Here's what I have so far, gathered mostly from PhD Comics, lol!

Admissions:

1. How many applications does your program receive each year?
   
2. How many students are accepted?
   
3. How many enroll?

Student aid:

1. What kind of financial support can a student expect to receive during the entire course of the program?
   
2. In each year?
   
3. What about summer support?
   
4. What is the cost of living in the area?
   
5. How much educational debt have students accumulated, on average, by the time they graduate?

Teaching:

1. How many discussion sections and courses are graduate students required to teach in order to receive a stipend in each year of the program?
   
2. What is the average teaching load in each year of the program?
3. Are masters degree students expected or encouraged to teach?
4. What support is there for training new teachers?
   

Attrition:

1. What percentage of students enrolled in the program eventually earn doctorates?
   
2. How many leave with master's degrees?
   
3. At what point do most drop out?
   
4. What are the reasons given, if any (i.e., money, concerns about job market, seeking other opportunities, family responsibilities, etc.)?

Time to degree:

1. How many years does it take to graduate on average (not ideally, but in reality)?

Placement:

1. How long are graduates on the academic job market?
   
2. Where, exactly, is every graduate employed in academe (and in what kinds of positions: tenure track, visiting, adjunct, etc.)?
   
3. Who was their dissertation adviser?
   
4. What were their subfields?
   
5. Where are graduates working, if not in academe?
   
6. Does the program also lead to appealing career paths outside of academe?

[ShaEnYsi]

Very nice amalgamation of questions. These are excellent for many aspects of the interview process and can even be used, to some extent, for intern/job applicants as well!