Funding graduate studies in Marine Affairs generally comes from one or more of five sources:
1) Self funding – Students pay their own tuition and sometimes obtain federal or other loans. Information on tuition and fees can be found at this link.
2) External funding – Students apply for and receive their own external funding through scholarships such as the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship. Other external funding opportunities can be found at our financial resources website. MAF faculty may be willing to assist you in developing your application.
3) Teaching Assistantships – Students receive a “Teaching Assistantship” through the University, which covers tuition and up to 20 hour/week stipend. These TA positions are offered to the strongest MAF applicants who also have an academic skillset that meets the University needs for teaching assistants. For example, since large intro biology courses typically require a number of TAs, strong Marine Affairs applicants who also have a background in biology would be more likely to be offered a TA.
4) Research Assistantships – Students work with a faculty member who has a funded research program and receive a “Research Assistantship.” These also cover tuition and up to 20 hour/week stipend for work conducted at the direction of the faculty member. PhD students generally spend at least two years of their program as an RA.
5) Scholarships, Diversity Awards, and Fellowships – These awards have various deadlines and requirements and more information ca be found at https://web.uri.edu/graduate-school/funding/
Below is a collection of other financial resources that students and applicants may find helpful.
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URI Internal Funding
Travel and Research Assistance
- Graduate Student Association
- Funding for conference and paper delivery (rolling deadline) ($250 for domestic conference travel)
- Thesis binding reimbursement
- Graduate Assistants United ($250-400 for research and travel type expenses)
- CELS Scholarships
- Graduate School Resources
- CELSTravel Funds (historically ~$250, call goes out to listserves at the beginning of each semester) See: Travel Grants
- Enhancement of Graduate Research Awards (Up to $1000/year, deadline early October)
- Energy Fellows
- The Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Program Up to $1000 to pay for travel expenses to and from a research site, or for purchase of non-standard laboratory equipment necessary to complete a specific research project (deadline Oct. 1 and March 15)
Scholarships
- Narragansett Bay Propeller Club $500-1000 Scholarship (Deadline typically in mid-March)
- Friends of Chatham Waterways $2500 Scholarship for Environmental Studies for residents of Cape Cod, Vineyard, Nantucket (or grads from Cape high school or colleges) (Deadline March 31)
- Worldwide Ferry Safety Association offers a $500 award for a research paper
Post-grad and summer fellowships
- NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship (Deadline typically in January)
- NOAA Fisheries-Sea Grant Fellowship Program (Deadline typically in February)
- John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships (Deadline typically in February)
- Sea Grant Fellowship Program in Population Dynamics (Deadline typically in January)
- Sea Grant Fellowship Program in Marine Resource Economics (Deadline typically in January)
- The Rhode Island Sea Grant and the URI Department of Marine Affairs (six RI Sea Grant Travel Awards for Graduate Students in Marine Affairs of up to $500 each for 2018)
- Port Authority of New York/New Jersey leadership Fellows Program (Deadline early December)
- Graduate Student Association
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US Federal Government (usually restricted to US citizens and permanent residents)
- Two searchable sites that list federal grants and can send customized e-mail alerts:
National Center for Environmental Research
Grants.gov - Dept. of Education, Jacob Javits Fellowship (applications not currently accepted)
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (Deadline typically in November)
- National PERIship Awards – MAF students have received this fellowship. It is focused on natural hazards work and it is suggested that the fellow attend the Natural Hazards Workshop which is held each year in Colorado. The workshop is also a good place for networking. http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/workshop/ (Deadline typically late February)
- Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowships (Deadline typically in November)
- National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) Fellowship (Deadline typically in January)
- National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships (Deadline typically in December)
- Dept. of Energy Graduate Research Environmental Fellowships (applications not currently accepted)
- Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program (applications not currently accepted)
- Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship (Deadline typically in February)
- Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program (Deadline typically in November)
- Boren Fellowships For Graduate Students
For U.S. graduate students to add a language component to their studies (Deadline typically in January) - Global Health Equity Scholars Fellowship (Deadline typically in May and/or November)
- Two searchable sites that list federal grants and can send customized e-mail alerts:
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Dissertation Improvement grants (usually for advanced students, primarily to cover research costs)
- NSF – Division of Environmental Biology Directorate for Biological Sciences (Deadline typically in November)
- NSF – Division of Social and Economic Sciences Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences (Deadline Jan 18, Aug 18 annually) Economics (Deadline Jan 18, Aug 18 annually) Political Science (Deadline Jan 15, Aug 15 annually) Sociology (Deadline Oct 15, Jan 15, Feb 15, Aug 15 annually) Science & Society (Deadline Feb 1, Aug 1 annually) Science, Technology & Society Program (Deadline Feb 1, Aug 1 annually)
- NSF – Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Cultural Anthropology (Deadline Jan 15 and Aug 15 annually)
- SSRC Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) Program (Deadline typically in January)
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Other Governments and Multinational Organizations – International Students
- Natural Science and Engineering Research Council-Canada
Open to Canadian citizens studying at universities outside Canada (Deadlines vary) - Social Science and Humanities Research Council-Canada
Open to Canadian citizens studying at universities outside Canada (Deadlines vary) - Vietnam Education Foundation
For students from Vietnam - Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships
- Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP):
- Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program (RSM Fellowships) are research grants cover residence costs for 5 to 10 month:
- Onassis Foundation:
- Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund:
- BrightSparks Singapore: a scholarship, higher education and careers portal for Singaporeans and non-Singaporean
- Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA):
- Maritime Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme (MPS) Singapore:
- Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF) Singapore:
- Keppel Group Scholarship scheme:
- Sembcorp’s Scholarship Programme:
- Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship program:
- International Scholarships and Financial Aid website: http://scholarship-positions.com/
- Student Grants program: http://www.student-grants.eu/
- FAFSA and Financial Aid Resources
- Financial Aid and Scholarships for Students
- Women in STEM Guidebook
- Careers in the Stem Field
- For students from CARICOM member countries
- TFG Launches the First International Trade and Shipping Global Scholarship
- Natural Science and Engineering Research Council-Canada
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Private Foundations, Professional Societies, and other Organizations (usually open to non-US citizens)
- International Dissertation Research Fellowship – Social Science Research Council For research abroad (Deadline typically in November)
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/American Council of Learned Societies Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Humanities and social sciences (Deadline typically in October) - Link Foundation Energy Program (Deadline typically in December)
- Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fellowship, World Wildlife Fund (applications not currently accepted)
- American Association of University Women (AAUW) International Fellowships (Deadline typically in December)
- Compton Foundation/Population Reference Bureau International Fellows
Open to students from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America - Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Fellowship Program (Deadline typically in January)
- Theresa Heinz Foundation Environmental Scholars (by nomination only)
- Resources for the Future (Deadline typically in February)
- Environmental Research and Education Foundation Fellowships in Waste Management (Deadlines January and August annually)
- Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships
Must be US citizen (Deadline typically in November) - Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowships
Must be US citizen (Deadline typically in November) - Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship
Focus on applied physical, biological and engineering sciences (Deadline typically in October) - Morris K. Udall Foundation, Environmental Public Policy and Conflict Resolution
Dissertation Fellowships (applications not accepted for 2013 cycle) - International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) — Social Science Research Council (Deadline typically in November)
- Organization of American States (OAS) Academic Scholarships
- The Dolores Zohrab Leibmann Fund
Open to Masters students (Deadline typically in April and November) - George Melendez Wright Climate Change Fellowship (Deadline typically in January)
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Fellowships in Washington or other off-campus sites
- NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (Deadline typically in November)
- Fellowships Office of Policy and Global Affairs (Deadlines vary)
- The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship (Deadlines typically in October and May)
- AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships
Must have completed PhD requirements (Deadline typically in December) - USAID Fellows (Deadlines vary)
- Hellman Fellowship in Science and Technology Policy (Deadline typically in January)
- White House Fellowship (Deadline typically in January)
- Jefferson Science Fellows at the U.S. Department of State (Deadline typically in January)
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellowships Program (Deadline typically in November)
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Postdoctoral Opportunities and Other Professional Development
- Pathways to Science Post Doctoral Fellowships Listing
- David H. Smith Conservation Research Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program, Society for Conservation Biology (Deadline typically September)
- Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fellowship, World Wildlife Fund (applications not currently accepted)
- NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
- NSF Science, Technology, & Society Program (Deadline Feb 1, Aug 1 annually)
- NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities
- NSF International Research Fellowship Program
- Resources for the Future: Gilbert F. White Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (Deadline typically in February)
- Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (Deadline typically in November)
- Earth Institute Fellows Program, Columbia University (Deadline typically in November)
- Harvard University Center for the Environment (Deadline typically in January)
- Sustainability Science Program, Harvard University Center for International Development
- Public Policy Institute of California Fellows
- Delta Science Fellows Program
- National Academies Research Associateship Program (Deadlines vary)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development CROSS-ORD Interdisciplinary Post-Doctoral Research Program
- California Science and Technology Policy Fellowship Program
- Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation (by nomination only)
- AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships
- Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) (for those that work or reside on the east coast)
- Asoka-Lemelson Fellowship Program
For entrepreneurs - LEAD International Fellows Training Programme
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Earth, Environmental, and Ocean Sciences
- Princeton University Program in Science Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP)
- NRC Research Associates Program (Deadlines vary)
- University of Maine Sustainability Solutions Initiative
- Global Health Equity Scholars Fellowship
- NSF EAR (Earth Sciences) Postdoctoral Fellowship
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Interdisciplinary and Environmental Research Grant Programs (for students and their advisors)
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Resources Posted by Other Universities and Organizations
- World Maritime University lots of opportunities for maritime-related scholarships and also international links
- Cornell Graduate School Fellowship Database
- UCSB Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
- UCB Energy and Resources Group
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota
- The National Academies of Science
Fellowship, Scholarship, and Grants Programs - Social Sciences Research Council
- Leopold Leadership Program, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
- The Foundation Center
Allows searching for foundations and corporate funders - Johns Hopkins University
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Summer Funding and Other Opportunities
- AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship (Deadline typically in January)
- Summer Academy on Social Vulnerability – Munich Re Foundation and United Nations
University Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Munich, Germany - Property and Environment Research Center Fellowship Program (Deadline typically in February)
- Resources for the Future (RFF) Summer Internship Program (Deadline typically in March)
- Stanford’s Bill Lane Center for the Study of the American West (Summer fellowships and internships available)
- Tahoe-Baikal Institute Summer Environmental Exchange in Siberia and the Sierra Nevada
- German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for graduate students in science and engineering (RISE)(Deadline typically in January)
- Santa Fe Institute Complex Systems Summer School
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IASSA) Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP)(Deadline typically in January)
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Summer Internship Program
- AMS Summer Policy Colloquium
- MAP Sustainable Energy Fellowship
- SESYNC Graduate Scholars Program
- U.S. Borlaug Fellows in Global Food Security fellowship
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (of NOAA Fisheries) has a Young Science Opportunity – This is a summer internship opportunity for upper level undergrads and grad students to come and work with fisheries researchers in Honolulu for the summer. Each year, several groups put up projects for which they’d like an intern and prospective students can apply to the project that is most interesting to them. There is a stipend to cover travel and living costs and a salary (albeit, not high).
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Field Courses and Workshops
- Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy- UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship
- Annual Santa Fe Institute Graduate Workshop in Computational Social Science Modeling and Complexity, Santa Fe, NM
- Debating Science Workshop – NSF and the University of MT (Missoula) Center for Ethics
- International Arctic Research Center Summer School
- American Meteorological Society’s Summer Policy Colloquium, Washington DC (Rolling admission)