Is it normal for a school to offer no funding for an entire program?

[RelaxButterfly]

Hello. My decision about where to do my MA has long been made, but I'm still dumbfounded by how a certain school that shall remain nameless and whose offer of admission I declined treats students in my field at the MA level. There's no opportunities for internal funding whatsoever: no entrance scholarships, no GAships, not even competitive opportunities to try for against the other candidates. Every cent of funding that the department has is given to its PhD and doctoral stream candidates even though other departments at the school divide the money more evenly. Has anyone else encountered a school or program like this? Maybe it's more common than I realized.

[RelaxButterfly]

Sorry for the double post; this forum doesn't always work well with my mobile browser! I would delete the other one if I could see how to...

[Eigen]

It's fairly common. My program has no funding for MS students, but generously and fully supports all PhD students.

[StephanieM]

MA/MS students usually get very little to no aid.

[UofIgirl2000]

It is very common. However, the real truth is that PhD students get priority over masters students for funding, so there may be so few opportunities for masters students that they don't want to get your hopes up. So, get on the phone with the program, let them know that you have availability to be a GA or research assistant if there is a need on the first day of class, and then ask if there are any wider campus opportunities that would be available for you to apply for. The department may not have funding, but the Dean of Students may. Plus, if one of the doctoral students declines a work offer (maybe they take a semester off to research), you have already signaled your interest.

[RelaxButterfly]

Hmm, so I guess this is more common than I thought at schools with both levels. Thanks for your answers everybody! UofIgirl, I decided on another school, but I never even contemplated the possibility of their being unadvertised funding. Thanks for the advice!