Graduate Fellowships
Students who are seeking an assistantship should apply directly to the Graduate Coordinator (the form may be downloaded from the Graduate School website). Assistantships are assigned to individual faculty, so prospective students should establish contact with faculty members in their area of interest. The basic departmental assistantship is for a half-time Graduate Research Assistant. Students receiving these awards are expected to work 20 hours per week on duties assigned by their major advisor. The current (2006-2007) 12-month stipends are $11,000 for M.S. students and $13,000 for Ph.D. students. In addition to the stipend, tuition is also covered by the department.
Additional support through the Graduate School is available to outstanding doctoral students in the Plant Science Program. The first is a Doctoral Academy Fellowship, in which the yearly departmental assistantship may be supplemented by up to $3,000. The second is a Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship. These provide a yearly stipend of $30,000. The qualifications for these two awards are listed below.
Candidates for Doctoral Academy Fellowships in Plant Science should have:
- outstanding undergraduate and M.S. programs of study;
- demonstrated rigorous record of study with a graduate GPA of at least 3.65/4.0;
- an MS in plant pathology, horticulture, or relevant biological science;
- candidates with outstanding undergraduate backgrounds, with an undergraduate GPA of 3.9 or better, and three or more years of work experience in a relevant discipline may be considered;
- a GRE score of at least 1100 (V + Q) and 5.0 (W);
- a record of publication in high quality journals based on work emanating from their undergraduate or M.S. research;
- demonstrated mastery of verbal, writing, and research skills;
- evidence of intellectual achievement and formulated professional goals; and
- letters of reference documenting levels of research, initiative, and promise.
Candidates for a Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship in Plant Science should have:
- outstanding undergraduate and M.S. programs of study at a distinguished institution;
- a rigorous record of study with a graduate GPA of at least 3.85/4.0;
- an MS in plant pathology, horticulture, or relevant biological science;
- candidates with outstanding undergraduate backgrounds, with an undergraduate GPA of 3.9 or better, and three or more years of work experience in a relevant discipline may be considered;
- a GRE score of at least 1200 (V + Q) and 5.5 (W);
- a record of publication in prestigious peer-reviewed journals as first author based on work emanating from their undergraduate or M.S. research;
- demonstrated mastery of verbal, writing, and research skills;
- evidence of high intellectual achievement, professional goals, and skills;
- evidence of leadership and independence; and
- letters of reference documenting levels of research, initiative, and promise.