NSF GRF for terminal master's?

[greentechgirl]

The NSF GRF app says it's for master's students too. However, I don't know anyone who's been awarded one for a terminal master's (or any master's students who've applied for it either really). Has anyone else heard of it getting awarded to master's students?

[greentechgirl]

In case anyone else wonders about this in the future: The "View/Print application" page says that the "degree toward which you expect to work" question is for statistical purposes only and will not be seen by the selection panel.

[waddle]

I'm sure the NSF Fellowship has been awarded to terminal masters students; if you look up the past awardees, you'll find that the graduate institutions of a small minority of winners are state schools with only masters programs at the graduate level. However, I would think that reviewers would be more partial to a student who is pursuing a Ph.D. than a student who would only want to finish a masters. After all, the award funds three years of work, and most masters students would take less than that to graduate. The degree objective is really not confidential. I suspect most applicants who apply for the fellowship would state in their essays that they are working towards a Ph.D./M.S. at University of Blahland (or, in the case of pre-graduate applicants, that they are applying for Ph.D./M.S. programs).

[rising_star]

I'm sure the NSF Fellowship has been awarded to terminal masters students; if you look up the past awardees, you'll find that the graduate institutions of a small minority of winners are state schools with only masters programs at the graduate level. However, I would think that reviewers would be more partial to a student who is pursuing a Ph.D. than a student who would only want to finish a masters. After all, the award funds three years of work, and most masters students would take less than that to graduate. The degree objective is really not confidential. I suspect most applicants who apply for the fellowship would state in their essays that they are working towards a Ph.D./M.S. at University of Blahland (or, in the case of pre-graduate applicants, that they are applying for Ph.D./M.S. programs).

waddle, does the website indicate whether those students were in their first or second year of a master's at those state schools? Because I'd imagine that many of them are applicants who are simultaneously applying to PhD programs...

[waddle]

Good point, rising_star. I hadn't thought of that, but no, I don't think the NSF website specifies that.