Frequently Asked Questions
For a Tunisian student willing to continue his studies in the USA , there are many questions that need to be answered. Here, we are trying to answer some frequently asked questions.
1. What to do to pursue your graduate studies?
First of all, you need to choose a University. The choice depends strongly in the University ranking among other US universities. It is also related to the research fields that you are interested in and the research topics that exist in the considered department.
2. What are the requirements for graduate application?
The application's checklist is as follows:
- Office of admission forms
- Official copies of transcripts
- GRE and TOEFL scores ( For more information, visit www.ets.org)
- 3 Recommendation letters
- Financial Dependence
- Statement of purpose
- Resume
- Application fee
3. Visa and paperwork?
When accepted, the university mails an I-20 and an invitation letter to prospective students. Then, the Visa applicant needs to pay a $100 of SEVIS fee online using a credit card, prepare Visa documents and submit his file to the US embassy, the Visa application fee is $100 too. He will sit for an interview with an embassy agent. If everything is fine, you may be able to have your Visa in One day.
4. What about the financial assistance?
The average cost of graduate studies per year is $20.000 for tuition and fees. Generally, accepted students can be RAs (Research Assistant) or TAs (Teaching Assistant). RA students may be assigned to work with a faculty member of their own research and TAs are employed to assist with teaching duties. In return, they will receive a stipend and tuition waiver. The stipend depends on University more specifically on department. Even though you are stipended graduate student, you may have to pay some university fees. Your stipend can cover your living expenses and the remaining part of the study expenses (the fees are about $4500 at University of Houston per year and it can be waived).
5. Transportation and housing?
It is highly recommended to have your own car if you are living in a city where public transportation is not frequent. On-campus housing is available. You may apply for housing before receiving an admission decision. You can also live off-campus and share an apartment with other students.
6. Student Life cost?
The life cost depends form a city to another. For instance, living in Houston is not as expensive as Boston, California or New York. The average cost in Houston is from $600 to $1000.
7. Work load?
In the first two years, you have to take graduate level courses. The required number of courses for a PhD program depends on the department you will belong to. You have to pass exams or present projects. Part of you course work, you have to do a research work too.
8. Grades and GPA?
At the end of each semester, grades are posted in your account. To have "A" as a grade means that you are a very good student, "B" is for good students and "C" is for average students. Then, you can calculate you Grade Point Average (GPA). A good PhD student has a GPA of 3.5 and up. The required GPA varies from one department to another. You should refer to the web site of your department to get the requirements.
9. Qualifying Exam and Thesis defense?
To be eligible to continue his PhD, every student has to take his qualifying exam or have a minimum achievement in courses according to the department. The qualifying exam can be an oral or written examination. It can be also a proposal presentation. It is also very important to participate in some publications in the framework of your research. To defend your thesis, it is highly recommended to have more than 2 publications.
10. How many years would you take to get your degree?
For a master's program, it takes about 2 years. For a PhD program, it ranges most probably between 3 and 5 years but it depends mainly on your research progress and your advisor's satisfaction.
