CDM Graduate Assistantships and PhD Funding

CDM Graduate Assistantship

Eligibility

• Graduate assistantships are available to currently enrolled students pursuing an MS, MA, MFA, or PhD degree in the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media who have completed at least four (4) credit hours towards their degree.
• For tutoring positions, applicants must have a 3.5 or higher GPA, and have completed all Introductory/Foundation Courses in their declared program. If the program does not have Introductory/Foundation Courses, a minimum four (4) credit hours toward the degree must be complete. Newly admitted students should contact an advisor to discuss the Introductory/Foundation Course requirements for their program of study prior to submitting an application for a graduate assistantship.
• Students who hold a full-time or part-time university faculty or staff position are not eligible for a graduate assistantship. (Students who hold a student worker position may apply; total hours worked for the assistantship and student employee position combined cannot exceed 20 hours per week.)

Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, tutoring, programmatic support, lab management, research, or technical support.  

Financial Award

A graduate assistantship may include tuition awards for up to two courses per quarter and a small stipend (not sufficient to satisfy the financial requirement for a student visa).  

Full graduate assistant awards require that the student work 20 hours per week and include two course tuition waivers. Partial awards require that the student work 10 hours per week and include one course tuition waiver. 

Financial Aid Cost of Attendance Disclaimer (opens in a pop up window) 

Application Process

To be considered for an assistantship the following must be submitted by the application's due date, noted below:   

• Online application (opens in new window)
• Resume
• A minimum of two faculty recommendations (Students will be required to include the names of the faculty who will be providing recommendations as part of the application.)

We recommend submitting your application as early as possible to allow enough time for faculty recommendations to be submitted by the deadline. 

NOTE: Once you submit your application you may not add or change your submission. 

Application Period and Deadlines

April 1st through May 7th by 11:59pm. 

• Applications are accepted beginning April 1st.
• This application period is for positions during the upcoming academic year (fall, winter and spring).
• All applications and letters of support are due May 7th.
• Notifications for this application period will be sent in late July.

Faculty Recommendations

• All applications must be supported by a minimum of two and up to five faculty recommendations, preferably from CDM faculty, by the deadline. CDM faculty must submit their recommendations online.
• Prior to submitting an application, students are urged to inform faculty that they are requesting a recommendation to support their application.
• Students will be required to include the names of the faculty who will be providing recommendations as part of the application.
• Once an application is submitted, applicants cannot go back and add additional recommenders.
• Students can see the status of their faculty recommendations by checking their application on MyCDM.

Interview

Some, but not all, positions may require a short interview to assess technical expertise and communication skills.  

Questions or Concerns

For more information about graduate assistantships, contact CDM-GAAdmins@depaul.edu. If you are having technical issues regarding your application, contact development@cdm.depaul.edu. 

Note: You will generally receive an answer within two (2) business days during regular business hours. 

School of Cinematic Arts Graduate Assistantship

Eligibility

• SCA graduate assistantships are available to currently enrolled, degree-seeking MFA and MS students in the School of Cinematic Arts.
• Student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
• Students who hold a full-time or part-time University faculty or staff position are not eligible for an SCA graduate assistantship (students who hold a student worker position may apply; total hours worked for the assistantship and student employee position combined cannot exceed 20 hours per week).

Duties

Duties for SCA graduate assistantships may include, but are not limited to, video production, stage management, programmatic support for film festivals and conferences, and animation projects. 

Financial Award

An SCA graduate assistantship may include tuition awards for up to two courses per quarter and a small stipend. Most SCA graduate assistantship awards in SCA include one course tuition waiver in addition to a small stipend and require that the student work 10 hours per week. The stipend included in an assistantship is not sufficient to satisfy the financial requirement for a student visa. 

Financial Aid Cost of Attendance Disclaimer 

Application Process

To be considered for an SCA graduate assistantship an online application must be submitted by 11:59pm on the final date for each application period. 

Most assistantships are quarterly and may be renewable, but renewal is not guaranteed. Therefore, students must reapply each quarter. 

NOTE: Once you submit your application you may not add or change your submission. 

Application Periods

• Fall assistantships: Apr. 15th through May 15th
  • Notifications for fall assistantships are made after July 1st.
• Winter assistantships: Sept. 15th through Oct. 15th
  • Notifications for winter assistantships are made one month prior to the start of the quarter.
• Spring assistantships: Jan. 15th through Feb. 15th
  • Notifications for spring assistantships are made one month prior to the start of the quarter.

Interview

After submission of the application, students may be invited to interview with a faculty committee to discuss the position. The interview may be necessary to assess your technical expertise and communication skills. 

Questions or Concerns

For more information about graduate assistantships, please contact MFAAdmins@cdm.depaul.edu. 

If you are having technical issues regarding your application, contact development@cdm.depaul.edu 

NOTE: You will generally receive an answer within two (2) business days during regular business hours. 

PhD in Computer and Information Sciences

Financial Aid Cost of Attendance Disclaimer 

Intended for full-time students pursuing a PhD in Computer and Information Sciences. All PhD stipends include tuition awards for two courses per quarter plus a living stipend (sufficient to satisfy the financial requirement needed to obtain a student visa). This award requires that the student works 20 hours per week as a research assistant. PhD stipends are primarily intended for new PhD students starting in the fall quarter, and the award decisions are made at the same time that fall quarter admissions decisions are made. However, current PhD students without funding may also apply.  

If you are applying to the PhD program, you should submit a separate application form requesting financial aid. The stipend application form must be submitted by the January deadline for fall admission. Notice that only applicants for fall admission will be considered for financial aid. 

Current PhD students without a PhD stipend can apply for financial aid by submitting the stipend application form before the January deadline for fall quarter admission. In addition to the stipend application form, the continuing PhD students should also submit: 

• A resume summarizing the research activities and experience to date.
• 3 recommendation letters, including one from the PhD thesis advisor.
• A personal statement describing accomplishments during the years the student has been in the program and the student's research plans for the following years.
• And a list of publications and conference presentations.

Students awarded a PhD stipend will receive funds for a maximum period of five years, including periods funded by other grants. 

Qualified PhD students in the Computing and Information Sciences program may be considered for GAANN fellowships. 

PhD in Human Centered Design

Financial Aid Cost of Attendance Disclaimer 

Intended for full-time students pursuing a PhD in Human Centered Design. All PhD stipends include tuition awards for two courses per quarter plus a living stipend (sufficient to satisfy the financial requirement needed to obtain a student visa). This award requires that the student works 20 hours per week as a research assistant. PhD stipends are primarily intended for new PhD students starting in the fall quarter, and the award decisions are made at the same time that fall quarter admissions decisions are made. However, current PhD students without funding may also apply.  

If you are applying to the PhD program, you will indicate in your application if you would like to be considered for funding and the committee will consider you for funding. Note that only applicants for fall admission will be considered for financial aid. 

Current PhD students will be considered for new and/or renewed PhD funding each year during the annual review. Materials for the HCD PhD annual review are due on April 1. After review by the HCD PhD committee, current students will be informed if their funding will be renewed for the following year. Materials that are to be submitted for the HCD PhD annual review are outlined in the HCD PhD Student Handbook. 

Students awarded a PhD stipend will receive funds for a period of four years, with an option to renew for a fifth year in extreme cases. 

PhD students in the Human Centered Design PhD program are encouraged and required to apply for external funding each year. 

Graduate Assistantships in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Program

Financial Aid Cost of Attendance Disclaimer 

The GAANN Program at CDM provides fellowships to assist graduate students with excellent records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue the PhD in Computer and Information Sciences program. GAANN fellows who are in good standing receive five years of financial support while pursuing the PhD in Computer and Information Sciences. Learn more about the fellowship on the GAANN Program page.