Ph.D. Program

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Financial Support

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Financial Support

Teaching assistantships: All graduate students accepted into the Ph.D. program are guaranteed 5 years of support and those accepted into the Master’s program are guaranteed 3 years of support.  Support is in the form of a teaching assistantship that currently pays $16,000 per year until candidacy at which time the stipend increases to $17,000 (typically the start of year 3).  Teaching assistantships also cover the costs of health insurance.  Ph.D. students are eligible for one semester free of teaching during their tenure with no change in the stipend amount.  Teaching assistantships can be supplemented through other grants (to either the student or the advisor) up to a maximum of $25,000 per year.   It may be possible to teach two classes per semester or two sections of the same class to permit more time for research in some semesters.  This option depends upon the course and permission from the instructor.

The cost of living in Salt Lake City is relatively low by national standards, and most students find that they can live comfortably on the basic stipend. (Cost-of-living comparisons among cities can be made at www.bestplaces.net/html/cost_of_living.html.)

Other sources of funding:  There are several campus-wide NIH graduate training grants, including ones in Genetics, Developmental Biology, Biological Chemistry, Cancer, Microbial Pathogenesis, and Hematology. These provide stipend support (currently $20,772 per year) and provide opportunities to participate in a variety of interdepartmental, discipline-specific activities including journal clubs, seminar series, and yearly retreats. Eligibility requirements differ among the training programs; some (for example, Genetics and Developmental Biology) invite students who have passed their qualifying exams to submit competitive applications for positions as they become open.

The University offers a limited number of Graduate Research Fellowships, Competitive University Teaching Assistantships, and other University fellowships. Information can be found on the financial aid page maintained by the Graduate School. A list of federal (NSF, NIH, EPA, etc.) and private (HHMI, etc.) national graduate fellowship programs can also be found at that site.

WEST (Water, Environment, Science, Teaching) Fellowships are available to students who would like to contribute to primary and secondary school science education in Salt Lake City while doing their graduate research. WEST Fellowships pay $18,000 for one year.

TGLL (Think Globally, Learn Locally: Neighborhood Ecology in a Global Perspective) Fellowships are available to students interested in developing inquiry based learning activities on environmental issues for 4th through 6th grade classrooms throughout the Salt Lake City School District. Topics covered are the local effects of habitat alteration, pollution and disturbance, invasive species, climate change, and emerging diseases. Fellowships pay $30,000 for one year.