MS in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Funding Options?

[werthittocruz]

Hi all,

 

I will be starting my MS in Chemical and Biological engineering at Northwestern this fall and am trying to avoid massive loans. Can anyone offer me advice on where to begin with scholarships/fellowships/grants? I know that NSF and NIH really only help PhD students, and it seems that other scholarship foundations are focused mainly on helping undergrads, has anyone been in this pickle before? 

 

 

[hulihuo]

I am also interested in figuring out options for MS in related fields like bioengineering.  Is there a comprehensive list of funding options somewhere?  I hear that the top schools will often provide grants and stipends, but it is difficult and time consuming to figure out exactly what is offered where.

[baymax]

You might have to go a year on loans if you plan on applying this cycle, since fellowships usually go up around fall, due in winter, and awarded next fall. Also, some fellowships I've encountered have restrictions where you need to have 2 years left of the degree if you're chosen and such, so check the eligibility criteria closely.

 

I thought the NSF GRFP does support MS students? I vaguely recall going through their list of chosen applicants and seeing some masters students on there.

 

Anyway, I would start with fellowships databases, such as the ones offered by Cornell and UCLA.

 

While applying to grad school, I looked around for external fellowships, and since my research is environmental-related, that's what I was looking for, so some of these may not pertain to you. Still, some external fellowships that support MS students that I know of are:

- EPA STAR (if your work is environmental-related)

- GEM Fellowship

- NPSC Fellowship

- Paul and Daisy Soros New Americans Fellowship (this is for immigrants or children of immigrants, but it's not area-specific)

- AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships (for women)

- Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program (for environmental-related research AND you must be attending grad school in California or New England)

- SMART Scholarship (I think you might be required to work for the DoD after graduation for a certain amount of time if you accept this)

 

I hope this helps in some way.

[jake001]

Hi! My sister applied for Aspire's Salvatore Perricone scholarship and she got it. Obviously, its judged based on your GPA. There are not many procedures for it. I think you just need to submit a completed application, an official transcript indicating the cumulative GPA. Its a scholarship that awards $750 to its members. For more info you can visit this website : http://www.aspirefcu.org/blog/important-announcements/aspires-salvatore-perricone-scholarship/

[Eigen]

Are you not fundable via an RA/TA? 

 

I don't know if I'd do an unfunded MS, and I know a lot of the programs in CBE/BME to tend to fund research (thesis) based MS degrees.