Many University of Memphis students turn to graduate school whenthere's a downturn in the job market.
It's the reasoning some U of M graduate students used inattaining graduate assistantships that pay for gradate school inreturn for doing an average of 10 to 20 hours of weekly work.
"I know I wouldn't have gone to graduate school if it wasn't forthe free ride," said Cassandra Morgan, an adjunct faculty memberwho recently graduated with a master's of arts and science.
The opportunity allows graduate students to chase theirintellectual dreams instead of the working world's bottom line.
"Our students are given tuition wavers and a stipend," saidSarah Dubose, graduate admission secretary for the psychologydepartment.
There are many students who enter psychology via assistantshipsthat might not otherwise because of economic hardships, Dubosesaid.
This not only happens in psychology, but in almost all fields ofstudy within The University and other colleges nationwide.
How to gage the economic effectiveness of such graduateassistantships is the focus of Workforce Contingent Financial Aid:How States Link Financial Aid to Employment, a study published thismonth by the American Institutes for Research.
"When state budgets are tight and college prices are continuingto rise, it's essential we know which loan programs are working andwhich are not, or what needs to be changed to make some of themwork better," said Rita Kirshstein, the report's lead author in astatement.
Kirshstein's work focuses on programs that provide money forcollege in exchange for a student's commitment to work in a fieldor region of the country that has difficulty hiring.
Traditional graduate assistantships entail in-school programsthat vary from college to college.
Some colleges within The U of M may require graduate students toteach a full semester class, as Morgan did.
She taught two classes every day along with her regular graduatecourse work, an average she said of about 20 hours a week.
Other graduate assistants have different experiences andrequirements, such as paper processing, researching for professorsand test proctoring, said Hyun Cho, journalism graduatestudent.
"It does not have a lot of pressure," said Cho. "You get yourtuition paid for in 20 hours -- you can't beat that."
