Financial Aid and Graduate Stipends

SoMAS offers full tuition scholarships and stipends to virtually all entering students in the research based M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Students are generally brought in on teaching assistantships and after their first year, transferred to research assistantships. The recommended salary levels for the 2012-2013 academic year are: $22,750 for entering M.S. students, $24,750 for entering Ph.D. students, $26,000 for Ph.D. students who have passed their comprehensive exams, and $28,000 for Ph.D. students who have advanced to candidacy, although actual stipend levels for individual students depend on availability of funds on grants. Students can earn up to $30,000 on specific fellowships. All SoMAS M.S. and Ph.D. students in good standing can expect full tuition support.

Information for M.A. in Marine Conservation & Policy students, and non-supported M.S. students, about financial aid available from Stony Brook University is found here.

Fellowships

SoMAS has a variety of special awards available to graduate students. In addition to being eligible for a variety of programmatic awards, SoMAS students may also compete for the following awards:

• The Evan R. Liblit Award
  The Evan R. Liblit Award is granted to a student at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. This is awarded to students conducting research on contaminants, waste management, or environmental issues.
• Graduate Council Fellowships
  Graduate Council Fellowships are awarded to exceptional entering graduate students who are U.S. citizens. They provide five years of stipend support.
• The Jerry R. Schubel Graduate Fellowship
  The Jerry R. Schubel Graduate Fellowship is awarded to outstanding SoMAS graduate students whose research theses and public outreach proposals best exemplify the principals embodied in Jerry Schubel's vision of a marine scientist in contemporary society.
• Turner Fellowships
  W. Burghart Turner Fellowships are awarded to outstanding incoming graduate students who have made a significant contribution to increasing inclusion of students of Hispanic, African American, or Native American descent into the professoriate. They provide a stipend for up to five years.