Graduate admission, and admission with financial aid, is granted on a competitive basis to those presenting the strongest credentials. Teaching and research assistantships are the most common form of graduate support. They typically include a stipend, tuition remission, and a subsidy for medical insurance.
TEACHING AWARDS
- George Schenck Teaching Assistant of the Year Award
This award was created to honor and to recognize a graduate student in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences who has performed his or her responsibility as a graduate teaching assistant in an exemplary manner and has been named teaching assistant of the year in his or her department. - Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
The Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award recognizes graduate assistants for outstanding teaching performance. This award is jointly sponsored by the Graduate School, through the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award endowment, and the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education.
Travel Awards
- College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Centennial Graduate Research Travel Award
The Centennial Research Award is given to exceptional graduate students in recognition of their outstanding research while enrolled in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. - Global Programs Graduate Student Travel Grant
The University Office of Global Programs (UOGP) maintains a fund to support graduate travel related to the presentation of the scholarly work of Penn State graduate students at international conferences or other major professional meetings outside the United States. The goal is to promote and support global leadership in scholarship and international engagements.
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Awards for Excellence
Graduate students are considered for these awards based on nomination by Graduate Program Chairs. Students do not apply directly.
- Anne C. Wilson Graduate Fellowship
Fellowship is given to select highly-ranked incoming graduate students. This award has evolved over the years, but has been used for the same purpose overall--to recognize outstanding students enrolled in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Consideration for this fellowship shall be given to all full-time graduate students exhibiting academic excellence. Preference will be given to students who receive honorable mention in the NSF Fellowship competition. - Arnulf I. Muan Graduate Fellowship in Earth and Mineral Sciences
Fellowship is given to select students who exhibit academic excellence and who are currently enrolled full-time within the college
Graduate School Awards
Nomination packages for Graduate School awards require a signature from the Graduate Program Chair and Associate Dean. Many also carry a restriction on the number of nominations a Program or College can make. Therefore, we require that complete nominations packages be submitted by the program’s internal deadline of October 1.
Complete nomination packages must be submitted as a single pdf file to Graduate Program Coordinator (staff member) with all items in the order requested. The Program Chair's (faculty member's) signature will be added after any required internal selection process is completed, and then the application will be forwarded to the College.
- Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
recognizes graduate assistants for outstanding teaching performance. - Post-comprehensive exam students only: The Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award
recognizes outstanding achievements of degree candidates in any of the Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs that relate to bringing their scholarship to the community in order to benefit society in some manner. - The Thomas and June Beaver Fund
provides recognition and financial assistance to outstanding graduate students enrolled at Penn State who are performing industrially sponsored research. - The Alumni Association Dissertation Award
provides funding and recognition to outstanding full-time doctor of philosophy students who have passed their comprehensive exams, have received approval of the dissertation topic and are within their final year of enrollment. This award in the amount of $5,000 is considered to be among the most prestigious available to Penn State graduate students and recognizes outstanding achievement in scholarship and professional accomplishment. - The Distinguished MS Thesis Award
is made each year for an outstanding MS thesis. Students continuing for a PhD degree at Penn State are ineligible. The thesis does not need to be completed yet, and the student must be enrolled in the spring semester to receive the award. This amount is $2,500. - The Graduate School Excellence in Mentoring Award
in the amount of $1,500 is offered annually. Nominees must have already passed the comprehensive exam. - The Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship
for Penn State Alumni in the Graduate School provides recognition and financial assistance to students who have been admitted to the Graduate School at The Pennsylvania State University as candidates for a graduate degree and who received their undergraduate degree from the University. The award is $2,500. - The Academic Computing Award
is a very generous three-year fellowship including stipend, tuition, and conference travel. - The Harold K. Schilling Dean’s Graduate Scholarship
recognizes outstanding graduate students whose course of study is relevant to science, religion, and ethics. The scholarship is $2,000. - The Graduate Student International Research Award
provides up to $5,000 for research abroad. - The AT&T Graduate Fellowship
offers a $6,000 for a student pursuing research in wireless data applications.
MRI Awards
Application packages for the Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award are submitted directly to MRI in the spring. This award honors interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State which yields valuable, unexpected results and recognizes genuine innovation not previously achieved.
University Awards for Excellence
For a complete listing view the University Graduate Fellowships on the Graduate School website
- Alumni Association Dissertation Award
Award provides funding and recognition to outstanding full-time doctoral students who have passed their comprehensive exams and have received approval of the dissertation topic. This award is considered to be among the most prestigious available to Penn State graduate students and recognizes outstanding achievement in scholarship and professional accomplishment. Nominations for this award must be submitted from the student's academic program to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research no later than the third week of October. - Academic Computing Fellowship
In 1987, Penn State established an innovative fellowship program in computing applications. The Academic Computing Fellowship Program is for doctoral students who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents and who have a background and strong interest in computing applications within their disciplines. Through participation in the program and the use of computers, students will help develop and disseminate new methods for problem solving within their disciplines. Nominations for this award must be submitted from the student's academic program to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research no later than the third week of October. - AT&T Graduate Fellowship
The AT&T Wireless Graduate Fellowship is designed to recognize and provide financial assistance to outstanding graduate students who are conducting research in wireless data applications and have been admitted to Penn State as graduate degree candidates. Nominations for this award must be submitted from the student's academic program to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research no later than the third week of October.for one $5,000 scholarship to be disbursed the following fall semester. - Bunton Waller Graduate Awards Program
Bunton-Waller Graduate Awards are assistantships granted to incoming students as part of the University's comprehensive educational opportunity program. The graduate admission application serves as the Bunton-Waller Graduate Awards application. Students must be nominated by their program. The Bunton-Waller Graduate Awards Program competition is open to incoming graduate degree candidates who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Awards from the Bunton-Waller Graduate Awards Program include one-year awards, two-year awards, four-year awards for doctoral students, and top-up awards. Applications will be evaluated on scholarly promise and upon receiving a commitment from the student's graduate major program to support the student. Departments should work with the Director of Diversity Enhancement Programs in Earth and Mineral Sciences. - Graham Endowment Fellowship Program
The Graham Endowed Fellowship will be used to give Penn State a competitive advantage in recruiting outstanding graduate students. The fund will provide supplementation awards of up to $4,000 per year to highly recruited students who are given assistantships, departmental fellowships, or who are recipients of external assistantships or fellowships. If justification is provided awards will be made up to two years. The Graduate School's University Graduate Fellowships and Bunton-Waller Graduate Awards Program and the GEM master's program are not eligible for the Graham Endowed Fellowship funds. - Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
The Distinguished Graduate Fellowship is a prestigious fellowship program available to incoming graduate students which provides payment of tuition and a base stipend. Our college has currently been awarded 2 of the 17 university fellowships. In addition to the fellowship, Earth and Mineral Sciences also awards to these students the college's Anne C. Wilson Graduate Fellowship award. Some Departments may also increase the stipend with their own departmental funding. - Funds for Excellence in Graduate Recruitment Assistantships
The FEGR Assistantships are a prestigious assistantship program available to incoming graduate students which provides payment of tuition and a base stipend. Our college has currently been awarded 3 assistantships. In addition to the assistantship, Earth and Mineral Sciences also awards to these students the college's Anne C. Wilson Graduate Fellowship award. Some Departments may also increase the stipend with their own departmental funding. - University Graduate Fellowship
The University Graduate Fellowship is a prestigious fellowship program available to incoming graduate students which provides payment of tuition and a base stipend. Our college has currently been awarded 4 of the 80 university fellowships. In addition to the fellowship, Earth and Mineral Sciences also awards to these students the college's Anne C. Wilson Graduate Fellowship award. Some Departments may also increase the stipend with their own departmental funding.