PhD Student Handbook
Tuition and Financial Aid
Terry College of Business, Graduate School (University-wide), teaching and research assistantships, fellowships, and tuition waivers are available. These awards provide for a reduction of tuition and fees to approximately $410 per semester.
Admitted candidates are automatically considered for all awards.
Other forms of financial aid, such as loans and part-time work, are available through application to the Student Financial Aid Office.
Financial Support
College and University Fellowships, assistantships, and out-of-state fee waivers are available on a competitive basis. A description of each is below. Individual departments and schools within the Terry College may also provide fellowships, scholarships, and assistantships at a departmental/school level. For a complete discussion of all financial opportunities, refer to the Graduate Bulletin’s Financial Assistance and Awards section. Students interested in loans or grants should apply through the Student Financial Aid Office located in the Academic Building.
Admitted candidates are automatically considered for all awards.
Financial Assistance: Assistantships
Presidential Graduate Fellows Program
Nominations are submitted to the Graduate School on February 1.
This prestigious, highly competitive award began in 2000 with the intent of recruiting exceptionally qualified students to our doctoral programs. The nominations for this award are presented to the Graduate School by individual departments in early February. This award is guaranteed for five years of support for students entering with a bachelor’s degree and three years of support for student’s entering with a masters degree contingent on satisfactory performance and progress toward degree completion. A maximum of twelve awards are made annually.
Graduate School Assistantships
Departments nominate students for the competition in mid-February.
Graduate School Assistantships are awarded each year on a competitive basis following a highly qualified student’s nomination by their major department or school. Each nominee is evaluated by a faculty panel. Selections are based on the applicant’s academic record, test scores, recommendations, and other pertinent information. The Graduate School Assistantship is awarded for the first two years of a student’s academic study (including the first summer). Recipients of these assistantships must be fully admitted to the Graduate School in a degree seeking status. Students must continue to be a full-time student taking at least twelve hours of graduate credit per semester (fall and spring) and nine hours of graduate credit summer semester.
Terry College Assistantship
Doctoral students may be awarded a departmental graduate teaching assistantship (GTA) or graduate research assistantship (GRA) within their major field of study, and assignments are made by the departments. The stipend is paid in 10 monthly paychecks, beginning in August. Recipients of a 40% appointment are expected to devote 16 hours per week to their assistantship responsibilities. This also includes the same reduced semester tuition as the university-wide assistantship, but students must be on assistantship for fall and spring semesters to receive summer fee waivers.
Prior approval must be received from the Board of Regents before any student can teach at the University of Georgia. Therefore, the Terry College must be notified by June 1 if a student is to begin teaching in August. All new GTAs must attend a University-wide workshop before the beginning of fall semester classes. GTAs who have no prior teaching experience must enroll in GRSC 7770 (1 3 credit hours) or participate in equivalent department training before they are given responsibility for a course.
The Office of Instructional Development offers GRSC 7770 each semester, which is designed to help prepare teaching assistants for their instructional responsibilities. The course also addresses university policies and procedures related to instruction.
International students receiving a graduate teaching assistantship must present their scores on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) to their department head subsequent to admission to the Graduate School but before assignment to the classroom. Students scoring 250 or above can be considered for teaching assignments after fulfilling the two requirements stated above for new GTAs. Department heads will use the score in conjunction with other factors in deciding how to use a particular international GTA in their teaching programs and whether to suggest additional study of spoken English. Questions regarding requirements to receive a teaching assistantship should be directed to the major department.
Financial Assistance: Fellowships
The Alvin B. Biscoe Fellowship
This fellowship was established in 1967 by Mrs. Helen Biscoe in memory of her husband Dr. Biscoe who served as Dean of the Terry College of Business from 1945 to 1949 and later as Dean of Faculties of the University. This fellowship is awarded annually to two outstanding entering doctoral students in the Terry College of Business. Awards are based on scholastic achievements and professional potential. The award amount is approximately $5,000. Admitted candidates are automatically considered for this award.
The Edward T. Comer Fellowships
The Comer Fellowships of $2,000 are awarded on a competitive basis to new and current PhD students in business administration. Students are nominated by their departments for these non-service fellowships, and selection is based on merit. Admitted candidates are automatically considered for this award.
Regents’ Waivers of Out-of-State Tuition
The Graduate School awards out-of-state tuition waivers to students who are classified as non-residents of the State of Georgia. The awards are based upon applicants’ academic records and the recommendations of their major departments. The waiver renews on a semester basis contingent upon recipients earning at least a 3.50 graduate grade point average on twelve hours of graduate coursework fall and spring semesters and nine hours of graduate course work during the summer semester. These awards waive only the non-resident portion of a student’s tuition. Students interested in being nominated for this award should contact the graduate coordinator in their major department.
Doctoral Student Travel Grants
Travel grants are for doctoral students who are at an advanced stage in their graduate program and are presenting results of their dissertation findings. Students wishing support for international travel should contact their graduate coordinator in order to submit their request to the Office of the Vice President of Research. Students receiving an invitation to present a paper at a professional meeting within North America may submit a travel request to the Graduate School. Contact the department’s graduate coordinator concerning the guidelines applicable to these travel grants.
