- Financial Support & Benefits
We are interested in students eager to obtain a high-quality graduate education and believe our graduate students should be concentrating on their research and becoming accomplished scientists. Therefore, our comprehensive package support students throughout their graduate careers. Features of our package include:
A competitive stipend. As of Fall 2021, the normal level of support is $31,380/year; the stipend amount typically increases by about 3-5% each year. For the first two semesters, this support is provided by the Department, independent of any teaching or research commitment. After the first two semesters, the student is usually supported by their faculty research advisor. Compensation is also provided during training as a teaching assistant. As of Fall 2021, 47% of our graduate students are supported on fellowships, 35% are supported by faculty grants, and 18% are supported as teaching assistants, a key part of our graduate training.
Health insurance. You're covered. The University of Pittsburgh provides excellent health insurance options, providing every student with medical coverage free of charge; supplementary dental and vision plans are also available. Rather than being limited to physicians at a student health service, every students is free to choose their own primary care physician. Moreover, spouses and children can be included in our medical plans at reasonable costs.
Tuition waivers. Graduate tuition can be expensive. In our program, you will pay no fees; your tuition is paid in full each and every semester. Depending on your course load and residency status, this benefit can amount to more than $20,447 per semester.
Transportation. The University of Pittsburgh offers free transportation throughout Allegheny county via the Port Authority bus system (https://www.rideprt.org/). Any bus - any time, any where - is free, including those to downtown or the airport. This benefit saves students the cost of monthly bus passes or parking permits.
- Predoctoral Fellowship Opportunities
Many of our graduate students are supported by fellowships. Some of the more common sources of support and department-specific awards are below.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. Deadline: November
American Heart Association Great Rivers Affiliate Predoctoral Fellowships. The American Heart Association Great Rivers Affiliate (which covers Pennsylvania) offers a pre-doctoral fellowship to help students initiate careers in cardiovascular and stroke research by providing research assistance and training. Proposals are encouraged from all basic, epidemiological and/or clinical disciplines that bear on cardiovascular and stroke problems. It is particularly important for the new fellow to receive wise counsel and direction from a senior investigator interested in the conduct and progress of the research project during the research-training period. Each fellow must have a sponsor. Deadline: January
Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellowships. These fellowships are awarded by the university to students of exceptional promise and ability when they have advanced to the dissertation stage. They carry a stipend plus remission of tuition. No service is required. The application process begins in January of each year. Information is provided by the graduate secretary of the Department of Biological Sciences.
Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Traineeship. The Predoctoral Traineeship Award supports the training of promising graduate students studying breast cancer under the guidance of a designated mentor to prepare them for successful careers in breast cancer research. Deadline: see website for program announcements
National Institutes of Health Individual Predoctoral Kirschstein Fellowships. The purpose of this individual predoctoral research training fellowship is to provide support for promising doctoral candidates who will be performing dissertation research and training in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. Deadline: see website
- Departmental Honors & Awards
The departments provides several annual awards to graduate students
The Stanton C. Crawford Award is awarded to a Graduate Student Teaching Assistant who has demonstrated excellence in their teaching.
The Ivy McManus Award is awarded to an outstanding graduate student completing their first year.
The Mary P. Edmonds Award is given each year to a graduate student for the publication of an outstanding research paper.
The Margaret A. Oweida Fellowship supports graduate student research in the Department of Biological Sciences.
- Funding for Research at PLE
The department's Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology (PLE) provides several awards to support graduate student research at PLE. Contact the current PLE director for more information on these awards.
Deborah A. and Leonard C. Ferrington Research Fund. The Deborah A. and Leonard C. Ferrington Research Fund provides support for research projects at the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology being conducted by students, with priority given to students conducting research in aquatic species or ecosystems.
Charles J. Shontz Endowment. The Charles J. Shontz Endowment provides grants and fellowships to support graduate and undergraduate student research conducted at the PLE.
Schwartz PLE Research Endowment. The Schwartz PLE Research Endowment provides grants and fellowships to support field research conducted at the PLE with a preference for studies of fish.
McKinley Research Fund. The G. Murray McKinley Research Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation provides grants and fellowships to support research in ecology conducted at the PLE.
Arthur and Barbara Pape Endowment. The Arthur and Barbara Pape Endowment provides support for research conducted by University of Pittsburgh graduate students at PLE.
Leasure K. Darbaker Prize in Botany. An annual award available for support of botany-related studies conducted by University of Pittsburgh researchers at PLE at the graduate or post- doctoral levels.