Are most PhDs funded?

[Lexicon]

Before realizing that I wanted to get my PhD in anthropology I was mostly looking at psychology PhD programs. Nearly all psych PhDs are funded because grad students are expected to work in their adviser's lab and the faculty generally have grants to support their work. Because of this setup most schools also don't allow their grad students to work outside the university.

How does funding work in anthropology? Are most students funded? Do you get a TA/RA position on top of that? Are you allowed to have a job while you're in school?

If anyone has specific information about funding at the UC schools I would appreciate that insight as well.

[anthropologygeek]

Depends on the school and/or the professor. Some rely on departments and some fund their own. Some school guarantee funding some don't. So just look at the school department site and they should tell you.

[aforman1]

Anthropologygeek is right; it depends on the school and its funding situation. Where I got my MA, most of the PhD students were funded through TA positions, but there were still instances where a TA was unavailable for a student for a particular semester and they had to scramble to find funding. Most department websites will have information about the type of funding the program provides for incoming/current students, and you can always contact the graduate secretary for more information about funding opportunities.

[far_to_go]

As the others have said, it does vary from school to school. However, here's a rule of thumb that I've heard from various sources: If you're any good, and the school's any good, then you should expect to be funded for at least the first 3 years (through TAships, fellowships, etc). So if the school can't put together that kind of funding package for you, then it's probably safe to assume that you should keep looking. Remember, new anthro PhD's can't expect to make lots of money (or even to get full-time jobs, let's be honest) immediately after graduating, so you'll probably be setting yourself up for a huge financial mess if you try to finance your PhD through student loans.

[far_to_go]

Oh, and I did apply at both UC Irvine and UCSD, but I ended up on the East Coast. At that time, the UC schools were in a real financial crisis and not in much of a position to make substantive offers to anyone. I didn't actually get an offer from either school, but if I had, I probably wouldn't have taken it (mostly for financial reasons). Maybe things have changed since my app season (Fall 2009). Best of luck to you!