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 Department of Biological Sciences
Funding Your Graduate Education
 

There are a number of ways to fund your graduate education including:

 


 

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

Graduate teaching assitantships are available to qualified students; stipends are normally for nine months and include a waiver of instructional and nonresident fees. Fee waivers and stipends are also available during the summer term for continuing gradaute assistants. Predoctoral nonservice fellowships are available to Ph.D. students, normally during their last year of study. All awards are on a competitive basis. Renewal of assistantships and fellowships is contigent upon satisfactory completion of assignments and progress towards the degree. These awards provide a stipend and a waiver of instructional, nonresident and general fees. (Application Form)

 


Federal and State Grant Programs

A number of federal and state agencies offer support for graduate student research projects. A few are listed here:

1) The National Science Foundation offers a number of specialized funding programs for graduate students and postdocs, such as:

  • Graduate Research Fellowships (Funding available for both research-based master's and doctoral degrees)
  • NSF Graduate Teaching Fellowship Awards
  • Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants

       Many of these programs cover salary as well as equipment for eligible graduate students. Make sure you check the NSF web site for all of the details and deadlines, which usually occur only once a year.

 

2) The Environmental Protection Agency's National Center for Environmental Research offers programs that provide support for graduate fellowships, such as:

  • NCER's Science to Achieve Results or STAR program funds research grants and graduate fellowships in numerous environmental science and engineering disciplines through a competitive solicitation process and independent peer review.
  • EPA Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) offers Graduate Fellowships for master's and doctoral level students in environmentally related fields of study.

       Many of these programs cover salary as well as equipment for eligible graduate students. Make sure you check the EPA web site for all of the details and deadlines.

 

3) The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grants program funds projects to conserve and restore fish, wildlife, and native plants through matching grant programs.

 


Private Funding Sources

In addition, opportunities for financial aid are available to graduate students through various small grants awarded on a competitive basis (Sigma Xi and Shanklin Awards), Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Work-Study, and short-term loans. Please visit BGSU's Office of Sponsored Programs and Research for a detailed list of funding opportunities. Some good sources:

 


Funding through Your Advisor

Once you identify a faculty advisor, you should contact them for opportunities to participate in their research. Many granting agencies encourage graduate support on grant-funded research projects. You could also explore the possiblity of assisting in a grant proposal that incorporates your research project.