Research Support for PhD Students
A $1 million endowment, the Robin and Roger Best Fund for Doctoral Research and Teaching, distributes approximately $35,000 to PhD students each year for research, publishing, and great teaching. PhD students can apply for up to $500 per year for costs associated with their research, such as travel, software, data, and conferences. But the rewards don't stop there. Present a paper at a conference? Receive $500 or $1,000 (selected major conferences qualify for the higher award). Submit an article for the first time to a peer-reviewed journal? That's $1,000. If it's accepted, that's another $1,000 or $1,500. The incentives also apply to articles coauthored with faculty members, who share the awards with their students.
The endowment also funds two annual $2,500 awards for doctoral students who demonstrate excellence in teaching. To celebrate all these teaching and research accomplishments, the Bests' gift supports an annual event in which award recipients are honored by faculty members and fellow graduate students.
Graduate Employment Awards
All incoming Lundquist College of Business PhD students are guaranteed graduate employment (GE) positions for five years, contingent on the student making satisfactory progress. The GE appointment is for the nine-month academic year at the rate of .49 FTE which is effectively half-time. Possible GE assignments include teaching assistant, research assistant, and/or instructor. PhD students are required to teach four courses during their tenure.
A Graduate Employment position from the Lundquist College of Business includes the following compensation package:
- Tuition waiver: Value is $14,364 for Oregon residents and $24,057 for nonresidents for the 2020-21 academic year.
- Salary: $19,453.90 for the 2020-21 academic year.
- Fee subsidy: $1,950 per year. GEs pay remainder: $183.
- Matriculation fee waiver: $430.
- Health insurance that ranks in the top five percent of such plans nationally: For calendar-year coverage, the University of Oregon contributes an average of $6,306, though this varies widely depending on family coverage. For an academic year, a student’s contributions range from $223 (single) to $660 (family).
Additional Support
- Summer support: Summer support is guaranteed for four summers, assuming satisfactory academic performance. Support will be $5,148 for summer 2021 and consists of a mix of scholarships and teaching and/or research assistantships, depending on the needs of the college, the department, and student interests. Students will work with their advisor and departmental PhD area coordinator during each academic year to determine their upcoming summer funding option.
- Research support: The Robin and Roger Best Fund for Doctoral Research and Teaching Excellence, a $1 million endowment, recognizes outstanding teaching and incentivizes students and faculty to collaborate and co-publish with the following awards: $2,500 each annually for two GEs with the highest teaching evaluations, $500 annually for research projects, $1,000 for papers presented at major national conferences, $1,000 for each journal submission, and $1,000-1,500 for each journal acceptance.
- Travel support: The PhD program and individual departments will provide funding for travel to academic conferences and consortia. Funding will cover conference fees, professional memberships if required, accommodations and direct travel and is subject to approval by the PhD Program Director and department heads. Total annual funding per student ranges from $1,000 to $2,000.
- Office and computer: Each incoming student is allocated office space (shared) and the use of a new laptop computer.
- Additional scholarships and awards are available from individual departments. Please contact the area coordinator for details.
