Financial Aid  

Although our resources are not as extensive as we would wish, highly qualified applicants have a good chance of receiving financial aid. We nominate the strongest applicants for Robert E. Gilleece fellowships, which are competitive fellowships awarded by the Graduate Center. They cover four years of full tuition payments and a $16,000 stipend. We also give smaller program fellowships. Students can apply for work-study and other awards which they do independently of the program, but if they receive them, they are assigned tasks by the Program's Executive Officer.

Financial Aid at the Graduate Center

Minority students are eligible for several different types of fellowship support. The program nominates candidates from sociology for Graduate Center fellowships named Magnet Awards. These provide four-year fellowships, with full tuition coverage and stipends of $16,000 a year. Candidates nominated by their programs compete for these fellowships across the Graduate Center. In addition, minority students are eligible for economic opportunity awards, with most receiving tuition coverage and many receiving some fellowship money in addition to tuition.

After their first year, most of our students find jobs teaching or doing research. We do not advise first-year students to begin teaching, as they first need to establish themselves well in the program. Starting in their second year, however, many students find jobs teaching at the CUNY colleges (such as Hunter, Queens, City College, Brooklyn, Lehman, or LaGuardia). When teaching at CUNY colleges, some students are hired on a course-by-course basis as adjuncts. Others receive Graduate Teaching Fellowships, which guarantee them three years of teaching in one department. Students can also get teaching jobs at the many private colleges in the area. In recent years, all students who have wanted teaching jobs have found them.

There are also many opportunities for students to work as research assistants. This is especially true if they have statistical skills, although many students with skills in ethnographic research are also hired. They work for CUNY's institutional research offices and at the Graduate Center's research centers, such as the Center for Urban Research or the Center for the Study of Culture, technology, and Work. They also work for individual professors with research grants. These research jobs provide excellent learning opportunities and often yield dissertation topics.

Most of our students engage in at least part-time work, except for those who receive Magnet or Gilleece awards. In most cases, the work they do contributes to their academic development, as they either teach or do research. We organize our class schedule to enable students to work while attending classes, with most of our classes offered in the late afternoon or early evening.