Funding Opportunities For the Ph.D. Program in I/O Psychology

Most entering graduate students are funded by a departmental assistantship, which provides a stipend, health insurance allowance, and tuition waiver for the nine-month academic year. For the 2009-2010 academic year, the stipend is $13,500 for all students. The tuition waiver covers a percentage of the tuition depending on residency status (82% for in-state and 92% for out of state). Students pay their own university fees. These assistantships usually require a 20-hour per week work assignment.

After the first year, most students work in paid research, applied, or teaching placements. Opportunities to teach an undergraduate course, funded by a departmental assistantship, have been ample for post-master’s students. We have a track record of funding 100% of the students who request funding.

Fellowships

There are a limited number of fellowships available from the USF Graduate Studies, and most are for incoming students. Unfortunately, few are available to international students.

The Presidential Fellowship is a 5 year renewable fellowship awarded on a competitive basis. The stipend is $22,500 per year plus a tuition waiver up to 12 hour and allows students to concentrate on research with less work obligations. Fellowship recipients are required to have teaching experience during their program at USF.

The Dean's Excellence Award provides a higher stipend for some graduate teaching assistants ($15,000 per academic year) plus a 12 hour tuition waiver.

The Diverse Student Success Fellowship provides a $12,000 annual stipend for up to 3 years. USF supplements this fellowship so that the entire package includes a $13,500/year stipend plus a 12 hour tuition waiver.

The McKnight Fellowship is available to African-American students on a competitive basis through the Florida Education Fund. USF supplements this award so that the entire package includes a $13,500/year stipend plus a 12 hour tuition waiver. The student must apply for this fellowship directly to the Florida Education Fund by January 15.

University Graduate Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis. Typically, one or two Psychology graduate students per year have received this fellowship. Fellowships have provided $12,000 per academic year and tuition waiver up to 12-hours per semester. It is nonrenewable.

External Placements

The I/O Psychology Program is fortunate to have a variety of off-campus applied internships and placements both within the Tampa Bay area and nationally. Examples of local placements are Capital One, Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, Inc., Publix Supermarkets, Tampa Electric Company, Verizon, and Watkins Motor Lines.

Teaching Assistantships

Most first-year I/O students serve as teaching assistants, which requires them to teach small sections of a large undergraduate research methods class. Many advanced students teach labs for advanced courses and even undergraduate classes on their own. To assure high quality instruction and to enhance the teaching skills of our students, the Psychology Department has implemented a series of structured training workshops. These workshops are designed to teach the skills necessary to function effectively in a classroom environment. All TA’s are also assigned a faculty supervisor, who works closely with the student throughout the semester. These training experiences, which are now required, result in excellent teacher ratings and give students a firm basis for future careers as instructors of Psychology.

Research Assistantships

A number of research assistantships are available on campus both within the psychology department and elsewhere. These typically involve working on a research grant 20 hours per week, and most include tuition waivers for up to 12-hourss per semester during the academic year.

OHP Training Grant Stipends

Students in the occupational health psychology specialization can be eligible for training grant support of up to $7000/semester (fall/spring/summer), plus health insurance and tuition. Conference travel and research expense funds are also available.

Financial Aid

Those interested in financial aid should contact the USF Financial Aid Office in the SVC building (813-974-4700) as soon as an offer to attend the program has been accepted. For loan applications, students should try to apply by May. Using a lender in Tampa is much easier than using an out-of-state lender. Note that the lender will consider your tuition waiver part of your assets and income, so be sure to inform them of the tuition waiver amount.