How big is your discipline's package?

[Guest dreamgoat]

Hey,

I thought it would be interesting to compare the standard Ph.D package in different disciplines.

I'll start the ball rolling. I'm in physics, and it looks like the standard packages are between 21-25k per year.

Anybody else?

[Guest guest531]

I'm also in physics, but unless you're talking about a year-long stipend, including summer work, that estimate seems high... Unless you just got way better offers than I did.

[Guest guest]

it also depends on the types of schools you're looking at. the ivies and places like stanford give pretty much every phd student at least 20K, and it's pretty standard across disciplines. in my field (i'm in the sociology), i don't think there is any standard package. one will typically have their fees waived. assistantships likely pay about 1300-1500/mo. i think it's worse in the humanities (unless you're @ a well-funded private school).

[Guest muse]

the fellowship I had for my masters in music paid 16.5k for 9 months and 1500 in professional expenses. Plus tuition and fee remis. and health and dental

[Guest guest]

psych - @ 18k

[PETRAL6]

I thiink these things vary too much because of a) location type of school c) strength of candidate to be standardized for any field. You can't give the same amount in NYC as you do in a less pricy city, a better funded school can give more than one that isn't, and better candidates get less than worse candidates. You can at best say that physical sciences, then social sciences, then humanities tend to get msot money. But, even within those areas there can be major differences at certain schools that have strengths in one over another.

[Guest guest]

8.5 inches

[PETRAL6]

That was really clever. I was shocked until I realized that I was the one with the dirty mind. Tricky.

[Guest Guest]

Cell biology PhD- 28k

[Guest Guest]

Though the majority of my offers have been between 24-26k

[Guest physics guest]

I'm in a physics Ph.D. program, currently getting $1950/month on a fellowship (first year), for ~23.4k/year. Though some of the offers I got last year ranged from 20k-32k

[Guest dettociao]

Humanities. Is. Alot. Worse.

[cahaba]

Yeah, for English i've been offered 11K, 13K, and 15K.

[esotera]

Yay for humanities: tution waived, 15.5K fellowship for first two years, next four guaranteed at least that much in teaching. Guess I should have gone into physics.

[Guest anon]

I got offered 23,000 a year in at two different schools for my PhD in the Humanities. I hadn't realized that this was abnormal until I read this thread, and now I feel even more flustered than I was already over getting in in the first place.

[Guest Bwahaha]

Do these stipends all come with health insurance or do you have to pay the health over and abouve the stipend. For ex. I am getting 16K for 9 mths and health insurance paid (humanities). I thought this was wonderful but now I'm thinking...should i have tried to negotiate for more? :roll:

[PETRAL6]

For humanities esp that sounds good. Also, it depends on the city. If that is NYC not as good. As for negotiating more money, as far as I can tell it really doesn't work. You may be able to ask for summer support, but don't try to haggle.

Anon, why does it make you flustered to get more money. I can think of many emotions that would be associated with unexpected money, and flustered is not one. Also, are you accepted at Ivies and/or cities that are very expensive? That can explain the bump.

[Bianca]

Human Development 19k + health insurance

[Guest Guest]

I get health insurance on top of my 28k stipend, plus a $1000 one time moving expense fund. I'm in Cell bio... posted earlier. That's a raw deal for you guys in the humanities...

[Ralphie]

Mine's $80K per semester plus a large downtown apartment, an SUV, a Crayola variety box, and a silver-plated poodle. Do you think I'll survive on that?

[History_Nerd]

Andrew, it depends what kind of SUV.

[Mnemosyne9]

I got tuition + $7000/year for a MA in Sociology.

[Guest muse]

also remember that for sciences (i.e. cell bio) there is a lot of boring work involved. I got 18k total per year for a masters in music performance with health insurance and I didnt have to do any work. So I was able to play gigs at about $400 a piece on average and made well over 30k per year. So its all good

[Guest daphna]

from what I've seen, sciences tend to get much higher stipends.

I got accepted to a Social Sciences program (History) with full tuition and health, 18,000$ stipend plus 2500 $ for 3 out of 5 summers. From what I've heard from friends and others, this is a pretty good offer for my field.

[Ralphie]

I got tuition + $7000/year for a MA in Sociology.

Yeah, but it's not the size of the package -- it's how you use it (or so they say).

Andrew, it depends what kind of SUV.

You're right -- I should hold out for the Hummer.