Graduate Program
Financial Assistance
All doctoral applicants are automatically considered for financial support and no separate application is required for this purpose. Students in the doctoral programs are normally supported during the typical training period, whereas students in the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Psychology are not guaranteed funding. Most forms of financial support include both a stipend and a waiver of tuition and some fees. For information on WVU tuition and fees, please click here. Students appointed to positions where no specific duties are listed will be expected to devote full time to graduate study, and will be assigned the teaching duties or clinical practice required of graduate students in their respective degree programs. Assistantships where duties are specified are considered as half-time appointments and are regarded as educational experiences as well as employment opportunities. Prior experience and scholastic achievement are considered in awarding fellowships and assistantships, and doctoral students in good standing who are granted aid may usually plan on continued financial support throughout the normal duration of their graduate training.
The following stipends are available to doctoral graduate students:
Graduate Teaching Assistantships. Students teach individual sections of multi-section introductory courses (e.g., Psychology 101, 241, or 251), supervise laboratory sections of courses (e.g., Psychology 202, 301, or 302), or assist professors with teaching-related tasks (e.g., Psychology 201).For a description of these and other undergraduate courses, click here. Training and faculty supervision are provided. In general, 16 to 20 hours of work per week are required. Stipends are $9,350 for students with a bachelor's degree, and $9,899 for post-M.A. students for the 9-month academic year.
Research and Administrative Assistantships. Students assist faculty with research projects or administrative tasks. In general, 16 to 20 hours of work per week are required. Stipends depend on experience and the source of funding.
Traineeships at Practicum Sites. Paid practicum placements at out-of-department sites are available for doctoral students in their second year and beyond, or in their first year and beyond if entering with a master's degree and having applied experience. These out-of-department practicum sites, listed in the Facilities section of this web page, include Visum (an instructional design company), Headsprout (designer for Web based Basic reading programs), CLG (a behavior analytic management consulting firm), Aubrey Daniels International (a performance management consulting company), Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, Greene County Children and Youth Services, Kennedy Center Federal Correctional Institution, WVU University Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Hopemont Hospital, William Sharpe Hospital, Western Pennsylvania Hospital Burn Unit, Clinical Psychology private practices, various behavioral/community mental health agencies, and facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities. These sites are located in Morgantown, and across the state and region. Stipends for practicum range from $8,750 to $19,800, require 16 to 20 hours of work per week, and last 9 to 12 months.
University Fellowships. Outstanding candidates are considered for Swiger Fellowships, which include a stipend of $20,000 for 12 months and exemption from tuition and fees, and which are renewable for 3 years. Students awarded teaching assistantships may also be considered for Eberly Doctoral Stipend Enhancements and HERF Awards, which provide $2,000 per year supplements to other stipends for 1-3 years. Outstanding African-American candidates are considered for W.E.B. DuBois Fellowships, which provide an annual stipend of $15,000 for 9 months plus exemption from tuition and mandatory fees and are renewable for three years.
Stipends are awarded yearly. Students supported on 9-month assistantships often obtain summer employment, either through clinical traineeships or summer teaching or research assistantships. Students appointed as graduate teaching assistants, research and administrative assistants, and clinical trainees also receive remission of tuition during the academic year as well as the summer.
Psychology graduate students also are eligible to apply for research and travel grants from the Psychology Department Alumni Fund, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Travel Assistance Fund, and Academic Affairs and Research to facilitate data collection or travel to professional conferences.