Graduate FundingFor students coming to Madison with an undergraduate degree, the guarantee is for eight (8) semesters if the student intends to stay through the Ph.D, or for four (4) semesters towards the M.S. If the student already has an M.S. degree from another university, we guarantee a total of six (6) semesters of support for work toward a Ph.D. Outstanding applicants are also eligible for consideration for departmental support as a Weeks RA, which provides one year of funding in addition to the semesters included in the four to eight semesters of the Department's guarantee. Support in the form of semester or year-long appointments as research, project, or teaching assistantships may also be available to those not receiving a long term guarantee.
The majority of students hold a teaching
assistantship (TA) or a research assistantship (RA) funded by research grants. In addition the
department awards a number of prestigious Weeks Research Assistantships to incoming graduate
students with exceptionally strong records.
The department and BP are pleased to announce the third year of a Research
Assistantship that is aimed at students from cultural and ethnic groups who
are under-represented in the earth sciences.
Students are encouraged to gain experience in seeking external funding for their summer
research and field work through various agencies who fund graduate student research.
Some sources of external funding and deadlines:
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Deadline: November 4
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/dge/programs/grf
Hertz Foundation Fellowships in the Applied Physical Sciences
Deadline: November 5
http://www.hertzfoundation.org/
Minorities and Women in the Physical Sciences
Deadline: November 5
NOTE: Students currently enrolled in a Masters or Ph.D. program...are not eligible!
http://www.npsc.org/
AAPG Grants in Aid Program
Deadline: January 31
http://grant.confex.com/aapg_gia/2005/index.html
Geological Society of America Grants for Graduate Students
http://www.geosociety.org/
Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research
Deadline: March 15
http://www.sigmaxi.org