Fellowships and Funding
Financing graduate education is an important topic for all students. There are numerous sources of support from inside the University and from external agencies that afford funding for graduate students. The most likely source of support is through an assistantship, fellowship, or scholarship offered by the College or Department.
The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School also offers a number of funding programs coordinated by the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Administration. Government agencies, foundations, professional associations, and other private entities also offer support of graduate education.
Additionally, the Department of Architectural Engineering offers graduate financial assistance through department scholarships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.
Advancing Master's Program
The Advancing Master’s Program (AMP) provides assistance for the successful completion of a two-year master’s degree with a thesis for talented students with demonstrated financial need for selected majors in the Penn State College of Engineering. The AMP Scholars program offers scholarship funding up to $20,000 in scholarship funding across two years and a mentoring and professional development program.
To learn more, visit the AMP web page or email Professor Julio Urbina at jvu1@psu.edu.
Assistantships
Two main types of graduate assistantships— the most common forms of graduate support at Penn State— area available: Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA).
The financial support for RAs is usually provided by external grants made to individual faculty members; support for TAs is controlled by the individual department. Teaching and research assistantships include a stipend, tuition remission, and a subsidy for medical insurance. Recipients are assigned to a faculty adviser who supervises the experience. Graduate assistants support undergraduate instruction or undertake research projects.
Graduate Fellowships
Fellowships are highly prestigious financial support packages that typically include a stipend, tuition remission, and a subsidy for medical insurance. They derive from University or outside awards. Unlike assistantships, they do not have a required work commitment; they are duty-free. Recipients must be enrolled in degree programs and be registered full time. Fellowship recipients are not permitted to accept employment without obtaining approval from the unit and/or agency supporting the fellowship. Undergraduates considering graduate school should begin looking for fellowship opportunities during their junior year.
Department Fellowships
- Gordon D. Kissinger Graduate Fellowship in Architectural Engineering: Consideration for this fellowship shall be given to all students exhibiting academic excellence who have been admitted to the University as candidates for a graduate degree in the Department of Architectural Engineering.
- Marlene and Joseph Borda Graduate Fellowship in Architectural Engineering: Consideration for this fellowship shall be given to all students exhibiting academic excellence who have been admitted to the University as candidates for a graduate degree in the Department of Architectural Engineering.
The Fox Graduate School provides a list of some of the more prominent external graduate fellowship programs.
Scholarships
Scholarships are financial awards that support graduate study. Most are awarded by colleges, graduate programs, or outside funding agencies and are based on academic merit. Some awards factor in financial need or other grantee-specified criteria.
Department Scholarships
- Department of Architectural Engineering General Scholarship: Consideration for this scholarship shall be given to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled or planning to enroll in architectural engineering in the College of Engineering who have achieved superior academic records or who manifest promise of outstanding academic success.
- Stantec Scholarship in Architectural Engineering: Consideration for this scholarship shall be given to all undergraduate and graduate students majoring in architectural engineering in the College of Engineering at Penn State University Park who have achieved superior academic records.
