Graduate Student Fellowship Program

Introduction

The Graduate Student Fellowship Program is an educational partnership with selected universities and is dedicated to the training of Ph.D. candidates in those scientific disciplines practiced at the Museum. The university exercises educational jurisdiction over the Program and awards the degree. The Museum curator serves as a graduate advisor, co-major professor, or major professor. The student benefits by having the staff and facilities of both the university and the Museum in order to carry on his/her training and research program. Joint programs are with Columbia University, providing students opportunities in vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, astrophysics, earth and planetary sciences, and evolutionary biology; Cornell University in entomology; City University of New York in the Evolutionary Biology Program.

Purpose

The purposes of the Program are:

  • to affirm and expand the Museum's role in the training of future scientists as part of its total commitment as a scientific institution.
  • to encourage bright and promising students to enter the fields of science in which the Museum participates.
  • to foster a stronger role for the Museum in recruiting and selecting students to train here.

    • Support

    Fellowships cover stipend and health insurance, and awards are for one year, renewable annually for up to a maximum of four years.

    Eligibility

    Both U.S. citizens and non U.S. citizens are eligible to apply. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree and be able to fulfill university admission requirements. These may include TOEFL and Graduate Record Examinations.

    Contact

    Applicants should first contact the Office of Grants and Fellowships to discuss their interests, background and eligibility for the Program. This Program is not open to candidates for the Master's Degree.

    Application Procedure

    Students must simultaneously apply to the Museum AND to one of 4 cooperating universities depending on field of study.

    Application to the Museum is on prescribed forms, must be postmarked by November 30th, and must include:

    1. A resume or curriculum vitae including academic background, work experience, previous awards, grants or fellowships, and a list of any publications.
    2. Official statement of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.
    3. Official TOEFL score for foreign students.
    4. Official undergraduate transcripts from all institutions attended.
    5. Official graduate transcripts, if beyond first semester of graduate work.
    6. Statement of research interests, if the applicant has completed less than 1 year of graduate study,
      OR summary of thesis proposal and progress to date, if the applicant is beyond the first year of graduate study.
    7. Letters of recommendation from three persons (including applicant's major professor), who are familiar with the applicant's academic and research background.

    Application to one of the universities listed below should be made based on field of interest and submitted by the university's deadline date. Students should contact the university to request application forms for the Ph.D. program in the appropriate field of study, and to ascertain the university deadline date.

    Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Office of Admissions, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 33 West 42 Street, New York, NY 10036-8099. E-mail: jreid1@email.gc.cuny.edu.

    Molecular Biology/Biological Sciences/Evolutionary Biology. Office of Student Affairs, The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, 10th Floor, Schermer Horn Extension, Mail Code 5557, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027-6902. E-mail: ref8@columbia.edu.

    Entomology Office of Admissions, The Graduate School, Cornell University, Sage Graduate Center, Ithaca, NY 14853-6201.

    Paleontology : apply to Earth and Environmental Sciences, Department Administrator, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964, Phone: (845)365-8550, Fax: (845)365-8163, Email: missy@ldeo.columbia.edu,

    Earth and Environmental Sciences, Department Administrator, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964, Phone: (845)365-8550, Fax: (845)365-8163, Email: missy@ldeo.columbia.edu,

    Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 W. 120th Street, MC 5246, New York, NY 10027. See website http://www.astro.columbia.edu

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