Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development: Tufts University

Financial Aid and Tuition

Department Tuition Scholarships
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)
Department Assistantships
Sydney Fellowship
Cambridge-Somerville Early Intervention Project Stipends
Student Service Center-Office of Financial Services

There are several types of financial aid available through the University. First, there is departmental aid available in the form of tuition scholarships. Second, there are Graduate Teaching Assistantship positions available at the two laboratory schools affiliated with the Department. Third Department Assistantships are available; first priority for those awards is given to doctoral students. Last, the Office of Financial Aid makes work-study awards and loan decisions. Students requiring aid should pursue all possible options. Support of graduate study often involves a combination of scholarship, assistantship, work-study, and loans.

The 2009-2010 tuition costs are $38,096 for the M.A. degrees and the M.A.T. degrees. For tuition information on the Ph.D. program, please call 617-627-3395. Please note that M.A. students pay for their entire degree at once, whereas Ph.D. students pay per year. Ph.D. students are charged tuition for two years if they enter the program with a master’s degree and for three years if they enter without a master's degree. The cost of the joint program with the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy for the 2009-2010 academic year is $28,572 for one year. This is a two-year program. These cost change each year. Please check with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) to verify current tuition and other costs or click here for more information.

Award decisions will be made during the Spring and Summer. T.A. assignment decisions will be made during the Summer.

Department Tuition Scholarships
Departmental aid decisions are based primarily on financial need, as determined by the GSAS Financial Aid form. This form is mailed to applicants when they request application materials for the graduate programs. The Department Chair is responsible for making recommendations to the Dean of GSAS, who makes final decisions concerning the allocation and dispensation of monies. Written confirmation through the GSAS is the only mechanism through which awards are formalized. Each academic year is a separate situation and there can be no firm expectations that the awards made for one semester or full year will be duplicated a following semester or year.

Tuition scholarships usually range from 10% to 50% of a year's tuition; occasionally more is awarded. For Doctoral students scholarships cover all tuition costs and are accompanied by a 20-hour per week doctoral assistantship.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (Laboratory School Awards)
Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) positions are available through both the Eliot-Pearson Children's School and the Tufts Educational Day Care Center. These decisions are not based on financial need. Each school offers a different financial aid package, with a combination of tuition assistance and a stipend.

Note: On occasion advanced MA students are also given teaching assistantships.

Applicants with an interest in teaching should complete the application for GTAships found in the Eliot-Pearson graduate information packet or here, on the website (click here to print out a .pdf of the application), and contact the lab schools for an interview:

Eliot-Pearson Children's School
(617) 627-3434

Tufts Educational Day Care Center
(617) 627-3412

Department Assistantships
Department teaching assistantships usually require assisting an instructor with an undergraduate course. The particular duties of a T.A. vary from instructor to instructor, course to course. Assistantships are usually awarded for 10, 15, or 20 hours. Acceptance of a 20-hour teaching assistantship necessitates that the recipient take only two courses per semester. It is expected that students accepting assistantships plan their time so as not to compromise their availability to the Department in fulfilling the requirements of the assistantship. Additional outside employment can be problematic and is not recommended. Students should be aware that commitments associated with financial aid can severely limit flexibility in course scheduling and should be prepared to delay courses or construct appropriate alternatives with advisors.

The Department Chair gives first priority for department teaching assistantships to first and second year doctoral students. The same is true for department research assistant positions, although the latter are assigned by individual faculty members as well as by the Department Chair and involve working on a particular faculty member’s project. While priority is given to Ph.D. students in the assigning of assistantships, on occasion advanced masters students are also awarded those positions.

The Graduate School has a policy regarding student aid from multiple sources. Students who are receiving financial aid in the form of stipends (e.g., fellowships) from outside agencies are not awarded teaching assistantships. The only exception to this rule would be if the outside agency award was much less than a Tufts stipend.

Sydney Fellowship
The Sydney Fellowship is available for a student entering graduate study and pursuing the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.). Students from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

This award is directed toward those who are concerned with child advocacy and who are interested in the integration of theory, research and practice in health, education or human services.

The Sydney Fellowship program reflects our Department's commitment to increasing diversity in the graduate student population, and in the field of applied child development itself. To be considered for the Sydney Fellowship, students must meet the following requirements:

Demonstrated financial need
Acceptance into the Child Development Master's Program at Tufts University, except joint degree programs.

Please note that the Sydney Fellowship is not available for students in the joint degree programs between the Department of Child Development and the Department of Education (CD/ED) or the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy (CD/UEP). Preference will be given to individuals demonstrating personal experience and career objectives that further program goals.

Cambridge-Somerville Early Intervention Project Stipends
A few stipends are available each year from the Cambridge-Somerville Early Intervention Program. These stipends are usually awarded to graduate students for 16 - 20 hours per week, and involve working in center-based groups for infants and toddlers with a broad range of special needs and family or environmental risk factors. Supervision is provided, and students work in groups as a part of a team. Co-workers in groups may include developmental educators, psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists.

Student Service Center - Office of Financial Services
The Student Service Center houses the Office of Financial Services. They allot federal monies in the form of work-study and loans. Application information is mailed to accepted applicants. You may contact Student Services and Financial Services at (617) 627-2000.