How does a PhD work?

Graduate School
1

My mom has sacrificed a lot to raise my siblings and me, including her career. She holds a Masters (with thesis) in a science field, which she obtained very quickly and with top grades (undergrad and grad). She works in the local school district as an Assistant Teacher. I know she has always longed for more, but doing so was difficult/not economically feasible. I have a few questions…

For a PhD/Ed.D program for something like science education, educational leadership, etc. at schools like UPenn, Columbia, or Rutgers:

  1. If she commuted, would she be able to earn at least 25k with the fellowships or other grad student appointments on top of her working on the PhD fee-free?

  2. Would she have a good chance of admission considering her grad school experience and work experience?

  3. Would a middle-aged woman feel out of place?

For a PhD program in something more pure science, like molecular biology, at schools like Princeton, UPenn, Columbia, or Rutgers :

  1. If she commuted, would she be able to earn at least 25k with the fellowships or other grad student appointments on top of her working on the PhD fee-free?

  2. Would she have a good chance of admission considering her grad school experience and work experience (compare to previous situation please)?

  3. Would a middle-aged woman feel out of place?

2

Education:

  1. Probably, yes. At most top school, a PhD comes with a fellowship, and the fellowship usually includes at least a $25,000 stipend.

Teachers College (the education school affiliated with Columbia) is not known for generous financial aid; they do have some scholarships but I don’t think they fully fund all of their PhD/EdD students. UPenn does award a full funding package to all of their doctoral students. Rutgers does not explicitly say, but they do say that they have generally been able to support full-time students; it’s unclear how much their support is worth, though.

  1. Perhaps? It’s difficult to tell from just the information you gave us. Her top grades will help her, but I don’t know what an “assistant teacher” is and those schools may or may not welcome that kind of experience (usually they want someone with instructional experience). It also depends on the kind of program. While all PhD programs in education include some research, some are more research-oriented than others, so her statement of purpose and research interests will play a role there.

  2. No. Most PhD students in education schools are older, because they come after years of experience in education.

Science:

  1. Almost definitely. I know that she would at Columbia - the science stipend there is currently > $30K (might be around $32K, might be higher). I’m 95% positive that would also be the case at the other schools. Natural science programs usually fund their students.

  2. Likely not. Her teaching experience won’t matter much; she’d have to have an interest in research, and some experience in research - either assisting a professor in research in his lab on a volunteer basis or working as a research assistant/technician/associate for at least 2 years. She’s also have to have a good research fit with professors at those schools. She could strengthen her portfolio, but it would take some work.

  3. Depends on her - perhaps. PhD students in the sciences do tend to skew younger, from about mid 20s to mid 30s. She’d be quite a bit older than most if not all of her classmates and colleagues in the department, and around the same age as her professors and advisors.