Graduate Studies

For more information you can always send an email to gradapps@astro.ufl.edu

Fellowships & Assistantships

Fellowships: A fellowship is an honor proffered for work of the highest calibre. It also implies a responsiblity for continued and outstanding progress. Students with fellowships are required to carry a full course load. Fellowships are available from a number of different sources. In recents years, various graduate students in the Department of Astronomy have received fellowships from the following sources:

University of Florida Graduate School
NSF (National Science Foundation)
NASA (National Aeronautical and Space administration)
FSGC (Florida Space Grant Consortium) with funds derived from NASA
American Astronomical Society Career Services
Summer Opportunities

The University of Florida Financial Support Program

Student Financial Affairs		- Overview of UF's Financial Affairs Program
Graduate Aid		- Graduate Aid Information and Index
Other Aid		- Other Scholarships, Loans, and Sources of Aid
Disabled Students		- Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities
External Fellowships		- Fellowships Opportunities from Outside Sources
Graduate Fellowships Initiative		- Opportunities for Outstanding New Graduate Students to Obtain a Full Support Package (see below)
	The Graduate Fellowship Initiative Includes:
	Graduate School (Grinter) Fellowships	- Facilitiates Recruitment of Truly Exceptional Graduate Students
	Alumni Graduate Fellowships	- Premier Fellowships for Students Pursuing a Ph.D
	Presidential Graduate Fellowships	- Four-Year Awards for Strongest Prospective Students
	Graduate Minority Fellowships	- A Fellowship Program for Ethnic Minorities
Other fellowships may be available for special situations, and students are advised to consult the directory "Graduate and Postdoctoral Support" published by the Division of Sponsored Research (DSR)

Presently the Alumni and Grinter fellowships are allocated y the college to departments, who then award them to incoming graduate students based on the merits of their applications. In 2003, the Astronomy Department offered two Alumni Fellowships and one Grinter Fellowship to new students. Other fellowships, such as the Presidential and Minority Fellowships, are awarded by college-wide committees from a pool of applicants that are nominated by individual departments.

Department Assistantships: Currently, all of the graduate students in the Department of Astronomy are supported by either fellowships, teaching assistantships or research assistantships.

Teaching Assistantships: Typically eight to ten students are funded by the Department of Astronomy as Teaching Assistants. The precise number varies from year to year, and depends on the Departmental budget, as provided by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In most cases, the required teaching is two (2) undergraduate laboratory sections. Students may not hold a teaching assistantship for more than 5 years apart from exceptional circumstances.

Research Assistantships: These are normally provided to assist faculty in research projects and are often directly related to the student's Master's or Doctoral program. The usual source of funds is a grant held by one or more particular faculty members who make all decisions on appointments. Potential sources include the National Science Foundations, NASA, and FSGC.

Graduate Student Research Assistantships: These are awarded by the Division of Sponsored Research (DSR) to assist faculty in projects that are either novel or nearing completion, and where assistance may be expected to lead to external support. These awards are unlikely to last for more than 9 months.

Summer Employment: Some Teaching Assistantships are usually available from the Department of Astronomy, and some Research Assistantships are usually available from individual faculty grants. In addition, a number of government, national, and industrial laboratories occasionally hire graduate students for summer employment. Again, students are advised to consult the DSR publication. Announcements of summer positions at national labs are often posted on the bulletin board. (Also see AAS Summer Opportunities.)