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Tag Archive: CSGrad4Us

Most NSF CISE CSGrad4US Fellowship Participants Enroll in a PhD Program

July 3, 2024/In: Homepage, NoRSS /by Burcin Campbell

The NSF CISE CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship is a program aimed at increasing the number of diverse domestic PhD students in computing fields. This two-year program helps guide students through the graduate school application process and the first year of graduate school to enable a smooth transition. The Fellowship also provides three years of funding for attending graduate school. CERP has provided evaluation of the CSGrad4US program for the first two cohorts starting in 2021. Evaluation reports for the first two cohorts can be found on the CERP website and are linked below. Among the many findings about the program, CERP has identified that top motivators for why individuals participate in this program are:

to make an impact on society with an advanced degree
a desire to continue their learning
interest in working on advanced research projects

This post provides an update on the current status of the three cohorts of program participants. Tracking data presented in the graphic below shows that the great majority of program participants (70-80%) end up attending a doctoral program while some of the participants opt out of the academic career path after showing initial interest in working towards a graduate program.

It is important to note that, given the stage that each cohort of participants are at in the process, the information regarding each cohort’s current status is slightly varied. Specifically, while fall 2021 and fall 2022 cohorts are already enrolled in their doctoral programs, the participants of the fall 2023 cohort are currently in the admissions stage and will be starting their programs within the next year. Further, cohort 3 participants from the fall 2023 mentoring program who were not admitted/did not apply to a PhD program are eligible to apply in fall 2024.

References:

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort One Year One Key Finding Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort One Year One Immediate Impact Evaluation Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort One Year Two Immediate Impact Evaluation Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort Two Year One Key Findings Report

CRA-E/CRA-WP CSGrad4US Mentoring Program: Cohort Two Year One Immediate Impact Evaluation Report

CRN Infographic: First Cohort of CSGrad4US Fellowship Candidates Seek to Make an Impact on Society with an Advanced Degree

This post is brought to you by the CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP). CERP provides social science research and comparative evaluation for the computing community. Subscribe to the CERP newsletter & bulletin by clicking here. The funding for the CSGrad4US program is provided by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers CNS-2123180, CNS-2231962, and CNS-2313998. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Call for CSGrad4US Applications

April 7, 2023/In: CERP Bulletin Email /by CERP Staff

Many who complete a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering or information science enjoy lucrative and exciting jobs in industry after graduating; however, pursuing graduate education can open new doors– and not just to a professorship at a university. The skills acquired in earning a Ph.D. prepare you to develop ideas that can benefit your research field and society, while helping to create a path to leadership positions within the tech industry.

One of the biggest challenges of getting into graduate school is finding an experienced mentor to guide you through the process: preparing the materials, researching different programs and finding funding for the right program. To help with this challenge, the U.S. National Science Foundation created the CSGrad4US Fellowship, which aims to increase the number and diversity of U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S. permanent residents pursuing graduate research and subsequent careers in computer science and engineering. The fellowship is also an opportunity for those already working in industry or other sectors to return to academia to purse a research-based doctoral degree.

In the one-year program, CSGrad4US Fellows work with faculty mentors who help them figure out which grad program is right for them, network with other mentors and fellows, and learn how to apply to graduate schools. After enrolling in a CISE doctoral program, CSGrad4US Fellows receive a stipend of $37,000 per year for three years out of five, plus a cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 per year for those three years.

A diverse cohort of CSGrad4US fellows will be selected based on their demonstrated interest and potential to pursue a Ph.D. in one of the CISE fields: computer science, computer engineering, or information science.

Eligibility

CSGrad4US Fellowship applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident;
Intend to apply for full-time enrollment in a research-based doctoral degree program in a CISE field no later than Fall 2025;
Have graduated with a bachelor’s degree before December 31, 2022;
have not been enrolled in any degree-granting program after January 1, 2023;
Have demonstrated CISE core competency;
Never enrolled in and have no pending application for a doctoral degree-granting program for a CISE discipline at the time of the application; and
Have never previously accepted a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

NSF seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and strongly encourages women, Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities to apply.

Timeline
The Application deadline for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship is June 5, 2023, by 11:59 pm Eastern time. Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for additional details and deadlines.

Questions?

Please contact csgrad4us@nsf.gov with any questions about the program.

CSGrad4US: Second Year Call for NSF Fellowship Opportunity for CS Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Holders to Return for PhD

April 18, 2022/In: Homepage, NoRSS /by Heather Wright

This post was originally published in CRA Bulletin on April 4, 2022 here.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate has announced the second year of the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship program.

Goal and Motivation To increase the number of diverse, domestic graduate students pursuing research and innovation careers in the CISE fields. The fellowship program, which will provide 3-year fellowship opportunities for new Ph.D. students in the computing disciplines, was released in response to the increased demand for people with a Ph.D. in CISE fields, the continued decrease of domestic students pursuing research and completing a Ph.D., and the overall small number of bachelor’s degree recipients in CS pursuing graduate school. In particular, the percentage of domestic Ph.D. students in Computer Science graduating has decreased from 69% in 1985 to 37% in 2018 [1].

NSF seeks candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and strongly encourages women, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities to apply.

Benefits

A year-long preparation program, organized by CRA-E and CRA-WP, in which individuals selected for the Fellowship will receive mentoring support in identifying a graduate program, finding a research mentor, and applying to graduate programs; during this year, the individuals will also have opportunities to form a network with one another and with faculty advisors;
For those who enroll in an accredited doctoral degree-granting program at an institution of higher education having a campus located in the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an annual stipend of $34,000 for three years out of five; and
Cost-of-education allowance of $12,000 per year for the three years noted above to the institution of higher education.

Timeline and Eligibility
The 2022 solicitation has expanded the eligibility rules. In particular, applicants must have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in a CISE field before June 30, 2021, and can have received an MS degree. Applications for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship are due June 30, 2022.

Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for all eligibility criteria and additional details and deadlines.
—
[1] Addressing the National Need for Increasing the Domestic Ph.D. Yield in Computer Science. Susanne Hambrusch, Lori Pollock, Ran Libeskind-Hadas, and Christine Alvarado, Quadrennial Paper, CRA, November 2020.

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CRA Receives NSF Award to Develop a Mentoring Program for NSF’s CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship

April 26, 2021/In: Homepage, NoRSS /by Colin Karnes

Funded by the National Science Foundation (award #2123180), the goals of the CS Grad4US Mentoring Program are (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CS Ph.D. admission and school selection and (2) to mentor them through the transition to Ph.D. graduate study during the first year. The program will include both a group mentoring component addressing general aspects of the graduate application process and an individual coaching component. Specific topics include the admissions process, preparation of all components of a strong graduate application, differences between graduate programs at different institutions, and how to compare programs with respect to the Fellow’s goals and background, and general guidelines on making a selection among admission acceptances.

The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program will provide not only general graduate application advice and guidance, but also provide missing larger context and network to students returning from the workforce. These goals are achieved through group mentoring sessions followed by individual coaching during the application and decision making process and the first year in graduate school.

With an understanding of the myriad pathways into computing research, the mentoring program aims to support students with varying levels of research experience, including those with no prior research experience. The mentoring program will be led by Erik Russell (Computing Research Association), and co-PIs: Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue University), Lori Pollock (University of Delaware), Maria Gini (University of Minnesota), and Russ Joseph (Northwestern University).

Are you interested in serving as a mentor or coach?

The mentor and coach application is now available on the CS Grad4US Mentoring Program webpage.

NSF Extends Application Deadline to April 27, 2021, for CSGrad4US: New NSF Fellowship Opportunity for CISE Bachelor’s Degree Holders to Return for PhD

April 14, 2021/In: Homepage /by Colin Karnes

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate has announced the new CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship program that aims to increase the number of diverse, domestic graduate students pursuing research and innovation careers in the CISE fields. The new fellowship, which will provide 3-year fellowship opportunities for new Ph.D. students in the computing disciplines, was released in response to the increased demand for people with a Ph.D. in computer science (CS), the continued decrease of domestic students pursuing research and completing a Ph.D., and the overall small number of bachelor’s degree recipients in CS pursuing graduate school. In particular, the percentage of domestic Ph.D. students in CS graduating has decreased from 69% in 1985 to 37% in 2018 [1].

Eligibility
CSGrad4US Fellowship applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident;
Intend to apply for full-time enrollment in a research-based doctoral degree program in a CISE field (computer science, computer engineering, or information science) no later than Fall 2023;
Have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in a CISE field between July 1, 2016, and June 31, 2019;
Not be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree-granting program for a CISE
discipline at the time of the application (other than a professional master’s degree
program); and
Have never previously accepted an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Timeline
The Application deadline for the CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship has been extended and is now due April 27, 2021, by 5:00 pm submitter local time. Please visit https://www.nsf.gov/cise/CSGrad4US/ for additional details and deadlines.

[1] Addressing the National Need for Increasing the Domestic PhD Yield in Computer Science. Susanne Hambrusch, Lori Pollock, Ran Libeskind-Hadas, and Christine Alvarado, Quadrennial Paper, CRA, November 2020.

CRA Looking to Develop a Mentoring Program for NSF’s CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship

February 5, 2021/In: Homepage /by CRA Staff

In response to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate’s recently announced CSGrad4US Fellowship program, the Computing Research Association’s Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) committees, with CRA support, are exploring the development of a CSGrad4US Mentoring Program to support recipients of the CSGrad4US Fellowship. The goals of the mentoring program would be (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CS Ph.D. admission and school selection and (2) to mentor them through the transition to Ph.D. graduate study during the first year. The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program would include both a group mentoring component addressing general aspects of the graduate application process and an individual coaching component.

With an understanding of the myriad pathways into computing research, the mentoring program aims to support students with varying levels of research experience, including those with no prior research experience. The mentoring program is being explored under the guidance of Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue University), Lori Pollock (University of Delaware), Maria Gini (University of Minnesota), and Russ Joseph (Northwestern University).

Interested in serving as a mentor or coach?
More information and a sign-up opportunity will be posted on CRA, CRA-E and CRA-WP websites in the spring. Click here to subscribe to updates.