The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

[quote="Guest"]Hi,

Phase 1 Mech. E here with DoN. The general understanding that I've gotten is that as a bachelors Mechanical Engineer, the starting pay band is a GS-7. Is that actually the case? Also, what does the raise schedule look like? I'm just trying to get a handle on where I'll be post graduation.

Thanks[/quote]

BS with exceptional GPA (which all SMART scholars have...) qualifies for GS-7. After a year, you could be promoted to GS-9.

Hi Guest,

I can't speak on what Grade you will start at, but it is highly likely that you will start at level 1 within that grade. That is unless you have a special circumstance or experience. I had over two years experience in industry, 4.0 GPA on a PhD, several nice journal articles, several internships, etc. and I couldn't get to step 2.

One additional question - Besides the starting grade (from what I've seen here it is normally GS-7 for BS, and GS-9 for MS), what is the expected step at each grade? (The salary range within a grade, from the lowest to highest step, is significant.)

Hi,

Phase 1 Mech. E here with DoN. The general understanding that I've gotten is that as a bachelors Mechanical Engineer, the starting pay band is a GS-7. Is that actually the case? Also, what does the raise schedule look like? I'm just trying to get a handle on where I'll be post graduation.

Thanks