FAQs

Sources of financial aid vary among our graduate students. The yearly graduate Ph.D. tuition at Duke University is $25,650 with an additional $6,250 per year in registration and other fees. Most of our full-time Ph.D. students, however, are supported by research funds with a few supported by departmental funds. We offer aggressive incentive packages for outstanding Ph.D. students with external support such as National Science Foundation or Whitaker Fellowships.

While most graduate students can expect to teach a few undergraduate laboratory sections during their graduate studies, we do not ask our graduate students to teach courses. Our Assistantship pays the tuition and fees in full and provides an income stipend of approximately $20,000 per year.

While we give funding preference to Ph.D. students, we also have a few outstanding M.S. students funded at the same level as our Ph.D. students. The tuition charges for M.S. students are $855/unit with 30 units required for graduation. For highly qualified M.S. students, we offer a 75% waiver of tuition.

Our average completion time for Ph.D. students is 52 months. Students who enroll for an M.S. only usually complete the degree requirements in three years.

Duke offers a graduate certificate in Biologically Inspired Materials and Material Systems. The certificate requirements includes:

• Two required core courses
• A minimum of five graduate elective courses
• Regular attendance and participation in the academic seminar series
• An advanced material laboratory training series offered through the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility

For more information, visit the CBIMMS certificate web site.

Teaching is considered an integral part of the graduate experience. It prepares future Ph.D. holders for a possible academic career by providing experience in lecturing, teaching laboratory experiments, and tutoring individual students. It helps develop skills in communicating ideas and fair grading.

Full-time Ph.D. students may be asked to serve as a Teaching Assistant - which typically involves supervising a teaching laboratory one afternoon a week for approximately two hours. Teaching assistants are used in undergraduate courses to:

• Set up and conduct laboratory exercises;
• Conduct recitation classes;
• Grade homeworks;
• Supplement the faculty office hours

For more information and guidance on teaching assistantships, review the Guidelines and Policies for the Professional Development of Teaching Assistants developed by the Graduate School.

Recent Ph.D. graduates from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science have found a wide range of employment opportunities, including faculty appointments at major research universities as well as research and management positions in industry and federal laboratories.

In addition to the support provided through faculty advising within the department, the Duke Career Development Center offers assistance and extensive resources for graduate students. These services include counseling during graduate studies, and also professional and career counseling and support for exploration of employment opportunities upon completion of graduate study. The Duke Career Center offers confidential advising services, electronic magazine and scholarly society links, fellowship and grant links, graduate school and thesis/dissertation guides, networking information, research directories, writing and research online resources, and career and employment resources, among others.

As program completion nears, graduate students may choose to use the Duke Career Center resources to explore a broad range of employment sectors, including higher education, government, or the corporate world. There is information and training on career planning, interviewing and job search skills, resume and cover letter writing, academic and industry job searches, job listings and employment opportunities, employer research and profiles, on-campus recruiting and graduate student career symposia, and one-on-one resourcing with a PhD career counselor and through periodicals and journals widely available at the Center. The Career Library and Job Room provide a wealth of printed and database materials on career fields and specific employers. In addition, by signing up for the Career Center's mailing lists, news of career-related workshops, employment sector trends, job announcements and strategies for job hunting, or tips for exploring employment options can be delivered to your personal e-mail box.

The goal of the Duke Career Development Center is to assist graduate students in exploring career options and in locating employment opportunities that match their special interests and expertise. Career-related information and advice are readily available, and Career Counselors will work with degree candidates to develop strategies for handling transition from graduate study into college/university teaching, administration, or other professional careers. Advising on career-related concerns is confidential, and feedback on the format and content of the cv, resume, cover letter, abstract, or grant proposal is also provided.

To explore the many services offered through the Duke Career Development Center, you may visit their website at http://career.studentaffairs.duke.edu/.

In accordance with Graduate School policies, minimum residency requirements must be met before graduation. They are one academic year with at least two successive semesters for a Master's degree and one academic year beyond the Master's for a doctoral degree. Please note that this residency requirement is independent from an additional requirement of six (or five) semesters of paid tuition.

Students may apply for a leave of absence by filing the Leave of Absence Request form, available at the department office. A leave of absence for a period of time no longer than one calendar year may be granted because of medical necessity, full-time employment, receipt of an external award, or other acceptable reasons. The Graduate School has established additional guidelines regarding leaves of absence, available online.