Expert: David A. NewMyer - 7/4/2011

Question
Dear Dr. NewMyer,

I am an european based MBA(M)holder in Aviation Management and am now considering going for my PhD in either Aviation Management or International Business Administration. Regretably, I will require financial assistance to do so, however, and would be thankful for your detailed information on how and where to look for suitable grants, fellowships, scholarships, or assistantships as well as which are the most effective and easy to obtain. Thank you in advance for your kind response.

Answer
Hi, Mark:

Nice to hear from you!  First of all, as far as a Ph.D. in Aviation Management, I am not aware of such an offering here in the USA.  There is a Ph.D. in Aviation offered at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and, I believe, a Ph.D. option in Aviation at Purdue University.  Finally, I believe that there is also a Ph.D. offering in Aerospace Education or a related area at both Indiana State University (Terre Haute, IN) as well as something similar at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK).

Second, I mentioned the institutions first since they are normally a key source of funding for graduate study, particularly at the doctoral level.  Normally, the kind of funding that an institution will receive for graduate students is in the form of funding of "graduate assistants" (or graduate teaching assistants, graduate research assistants, etc).  The money can come from general program funds through the department or college in which the progam is located OR it can come in the form of grant funding from a federal, state or local government agency or from a private source.  Many times, the funding will come along with some key research tracks or research/study items or issues that must be investigated in order for the money to be paid, or for the grant to continue.  Therefore, once you apply for the program or programs in which you are interested (or, perhaps, as part of your initial inquiry about these programs), you can find out about what sort of institutionally-based funding there is for graduate assistants.  Many times, this funding will include a waiver of your tuition &  fees and/or a stipend for working for the program or the department.  A key aspect of working in the department in which you will also study is that you will get to know the major professors a bit better, which should enhance the overall value of your Ph.D. education.

Another source of funding for graduate assistants is via grants and scholarships offered by different educational foundations, special interest groups, government agencies, etc., for the field in which you intend to study.  Sometimes, the national government in your native country will have some sort of funding for people who will study in areas where the government deems that there is a shortage of trained personnel.  Or, they might have an annual grant application for special grants for graduate theses or dissertations (the Transportation Research Board of the National Science Council here in the USA offers those sorts of scholarships or grants, as an example).

Finally, there are privately-funded aviation scholarships available here in the USA and a few are open to international students.  You can view a listing of such scholarships at this website:  www.uaa.aero  which is the website of the University Aviation Association. Go to the main page and then click on Scholarships.

Good luck to you!

David A. NewMyer