Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Subodh Bhandari
Associate Professor
Aerospace Engineering Department
http://ae-www.usc.edu/
Choosing an Advisor
Depending on departments and funding available,
you may get either of GRA, GTA, or GSA positions
If you are interested in research, click at the link
for Research
You may see number of research areas and
professors working in each of the areas
Select the area of your interest
Write to the professors working in the area of your
interest; he or she may already have funding (from
internal/external research grants) available for
your education and thesis
Fellowships
NASA
Department of Defense (DoD)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Department of Energy
http://aero.tamu.edu/people/hurtado/FellowshipSc
holarship%20Programs.htm
http://blogs.asee.org/fellowships/science-and-
engineering-fellowships-and-scholarships/
CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive
Program (CDIP)
Participants in the program can borrow up to
$10,000 per year to a total amount of $30,000
The loan may be repayed over 15-year period (5%
API)
If hired at one of CSU campuses as full-time
instructional faculty, the loan (including interest)
will be forgiven at the rate of 20% for each year of
full-time teaching at CSU
The loan can be borrowed even if the participants
have other sources of funding
CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive
Program (CDIP) Contd.
http://www.calstate.edu/hr/cdip/apply/index.s
html
First Semester at Graduate School
You may not get assistantship right away
Very high chances of getting one (GTA/GRA/GSA)
during first semester of your graduate studies
Some students wait for little longer; and some may
not get
Keep in touch with professors; often times
professors and department chair come to you
If you’re admitted for PhD program, funding is
generally assured
Undergraduate Research at CPP
Many professors have ongoing research
If any of the research areas interest you, talk to
the professor involved
Professors may have research grants and may
hire research assistants
CCRAA Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship
opportunities
– Student finds an advisor
– Student writes a research proposal together with the
advisor
– Selection is based on merit and commitment to PhD
degrees
Good News
Universities are in dire need of graduate
students particularly in STEM fields
Baby Boomers going to retire soon, those
with advanced degrees and training will
have better chances of getting a job
By doing this, you will also contribute to the
country’s needs
Questions ????