Graduate Assistantships and Scholarships
The department offers a small number of graduate assistantships each academic year. The program application also serves as the application for scholarships and graduate research assistantships. Your personal statements, academic records, letters of recommendation, and other supplemental material submitted with your online application are important for the scholarship and graduate assistantship review process. PhD funding decisions are made at the time of admission and are typically communicated in the acceptance letter.
The hiring process is competitive and is usually conducted during the summer with assistantships being awarded for one academic year (fall and spring semesters). Generally, the positions will be awarded to full-time students whose research interests align or complement the research areas for the program faculty. Learn more about graduate assistantships.
More information about the research interests of the program faculty can be found on the health policy research page and the health informatics research page.
Dissertation Funding
Once a PhD student begins work on a dissertation proposal, they are strongly encouraged to seek dissertation-support funding. Several government agencies and private organizations provide funding for students who are working on an approved thesis topic.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program – Dissertation Year Fellowship
- CDC Grants for Public Health Research Dissertation
- The Hewlett Foundation/IIE Dissertation Fellowship
- Aging Research Dissertation Awards To Increase Diversity
- Research Supplements To Promote Diversity In Health-Related Research
- Mental Health Dissertation Research Grants To Increase Diversity In The Mental Health Research Arena
- Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships For Minorities
- National Science Foundation East Asia And Pacific Summer Institutes For U.S. Graduate Students
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
- PhRMA Foundation Outcomes Research
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Dissertation Research Program
External Funding Opportunities
Some research and professional organizations provide educational funding to doctoral students. Below is a list of funding databases and individual organizations:
- Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Funding Database
- American Association of University Women
- AcademyHealth
- American Public Health Association (APHA)
- Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA)
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Health Policy Gateway
Fellowships
There are also fellowship opportunities available to students beginning a graduate program. Mason’s Office of Graduate Fellowships works to increase awareness, participation, and success in extramural fellowship competitions among Mason's graduate students, with an emphasis on nationally competitive awards.
Financial Aid
Information on federal financial aid programs and university scholarships can be found on Mason’s Office of Student Financial web site.