1. Policy On Standard Doctoral Stipend 

 

The cost of living in New York City is high and places a significant burden on our Ph.D. students, which can impede their studies and slow time to graduation. The School has determined that we must increase the level of compensation of our students. Starting in September, 2020 the minimal stipend that our Ph.D. students will receive is $35,000/year. If a program wants to pay a higher level they are free to do so as long as it is applied evenly across the students in the program.

 

This proposed increase to $35,000 applies to all students within their first five years of study.  For students in years six and beyond a specific plan must be developed for their future support. There is no guarantee of stipend after five years.  GSAS and VP&S pay their Ph.D. students approximately $40,000/year and we believe we should strive to achieve this level in future years.

 

It is acceptable for students to receive the equivalent of $35,000 through appointments in VP&S or other units even if they are paid hourly; however, the program must document that they do achieve the minimum annual support.

 

Students on NIH Training Grants must be given additional appointments to assure that their total stipend is $35,000 and that they continue to receive health insurance.

 

The School is aware that some programs collect partial tuition from a subset of their students. We realize that this is necessary for financial stability, but we should strive to eliminate tuition payment for our Ph.D. students in the future.

 

Deviations from this policy must be approved by the Vice Dean for Education and the Vice Dean for Research Strategy and Innovation.

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2. Template Letter for Doctoral Stipend 

Dear XYZ

Congratulations, on behalf of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, we are pleased to admit you to the PhD program in the Department of XXX commencing September 2020.

In recognition of your academic achievements, we are pleased to offer you an appointment as a predoctoral scholar. This appointment covers tuition and fees for Student Health Services and medical insurance as required by the University. You will also receive a stipend at the annual rate of $40,000? (over the 12-month academic year starting September 1, 2020).  This appointment will commence with your registration and is expected to continue if you remain in good academic standing with timely and satisfactory progress. Predoctoral scholars are expected to work with their faculty mentors to apply for fellowships as well as engage in faculty research projects to support their dissertation research. Predoctoral scholars are expected to complete their training within 5 years. Appointments that exceed 5 years must be supported by the student and faculty mentor.

As a predoctoral scholar in the Mailman School, you are required to complete your program’s academic requirements, as well as eight semester-units of professional development. A semester-unit of professional development can vary among programs, but it is typically the equivalent of a semester-long research rotation, a semester-long teaching rotation, or a semester-equivalent professional skill development workshop series. Your specific academic and professional development plan will be developed in collaboration with the program. The stipend and tuition package has been designed to provide all of the necessary support, as such, any additional outside work is discouraged. Any exceptions must be approved by the Program and the Associate Dean of Doctoral Studies.

Please advise us whether you accept this appointment as soon as possible by logging in and clicking on the offer tab here. You are also advised to visit the Housing Office website to familiarize yourself with the application process. There you can view the various housing options as well as current rent rates. The housing application will open for submission on April 15.

We thank you for your interest in xxxx Program and the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and look forward to you joining our community of scholars.

Sincerely yours,