Salam everyone,
I have a question. My friend is interested in doing his Phd in USA or Canada. Are there any research grants for study in the phd program in US / Canada? If yes , can a person easily support himself during the course of the program?
Scondly, how important is GRE or GMAT score for entry into a PHd program?
Answers would be greatly appreciated.
Re: Plz Help - Phd info
Hello Laeeq,
Yes, most Ph.D. programs in North America are funded through a combination of University provided stipend scholarships and either a teaching or a research assistantship depending upon the requirements of the candidate’s department and his/her research advisor’s preferences.
The University stipend scholarship is renewable yearly based on progress in the program, and sometimes there are additional research projects available to work on during the summer terms.
Over the three years that I’ve been a Ph.D. student, I’ve declined the teaching option because I’ve had the opportunity to partake various research projects with other researchers in the department. It all really depends on the dept. and the University. One thing I can't stress enough is to select the research advisor verrry verrrrry carefully! (if you have any say in this) as he/she can make your life and experience pleasant or miserable.
Lastly, as for the GRE/GMAT, each school has its own criteria for assessment, but I can tell you that most business schools will in fact require a good GMAT score. The GRE tends to be a preference for most schools.
Let me know if your friend has any other questions… feel free to send me an email.
Re: Plz Help - Phd info
Wa-alaikum Salam,
Canadian universities do give scholorship/funding for PhD. And most of the PhD students get it as compared to MS students. BUT, as far as i know, it is ONLY for Permanent Residents and Citizens … not for international students. However, international students do get TA (Teaching Assistant) job, and are allowed to work under certain limitations. Funding, if u get, is more than enough for a single person, whereas for a family it depends how big is the family. Some people with family do some additional jobs on-campus as well as off-campus. Some guys do cash jobs as well, which are illegal but some people do that. I have heard US is better in scholorships and fundings, but am not aware of current conditions there.
GRE and GMAT would be helpful for ur friend to convince the Prof. specially if all his/her education is from Pakistan. But it depends on the individual University requirements. For that plz refer to your target universities. You can find links to all universities at the following link.
Canadian Universities and Institutes: http://www.uwaterloo.ca/canu/
Work opportunities for foreign students: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-opps.html
Re: Plz Help - Phd info
No... in fact Ph.D. programs are one of the few areas where even international students get the same type of support as a premanent resident / citizen. Our department has quite an international student complement and most of them earn similar to everyone else.
Also, the annual stipend amounts to about $30K which is just about enough for one person's living expenses after the tuition. So yes, some people often resort to other work, but the Universities will also have some criteria to allow or disallow such endeavors... for e.g. at my University, Ph.D. students are officially not allowed to work more than 20 hours a week, otherwise you forfeit your scholarship stipend.
Re: Plz Help - Phd info
Thank You very much for the info. Really appreciate it!