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Department Sources of Financial Aid

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Numerous programs exist that can help Urban and Regional Planning graduate students reduce these costs. These may be divided into three categories by their application procedures: Department administered; Office of Financial Aid administered; and externally administered. Any applicant for whom finances are an issue should examine all three categories of programs. The Department of Urban and Regional Planning nominates candidates for and directly offers a variety of aid programs all of which are based on the talent and abilities of the applicant. These competitive programs, summarized below, include research assistantships, teaching assistantships, cooperative internships with other organizations, tuition stipends, and fellowships. Many of these programs require that the recipient satisfy a work requirement of a professional nature under the direction of faculty or an internship sponsor; others are provided as support for study without work obligation and may have conditions limiting the non-school activities of the recipients. Award amounts for these programs, including stipends and tuition waivers, range from $1,500 to $33,175 for each year of study.

Awards to entering graduate students are primarily made for study beginning in the Fall term. Application for the Department-administered financial aid listed below should be made before January 15 by submitting the Department's Application for Financial Aid. Applicants who wish to be nominated by the Department for specific university awards listed here should so indicate. To request that a copy be mailed to you, U.S. students click here , international students click here .

University Fellowships. Awards carry a stipend of $15,000 to $20,000 for 9 months plus a 24 credit hour tuition waiver. These awards are highly competitive and are made on the basis of academic achievement alone. There is no work requirement. Candidates apply to and are nominated by the Department. Awards are made by a university committee.

College Fellowships. Awards carry a stipend of $15,000 for 9 months plus a 24 credit hour tuition waiver. Awardees work 10 hours per week for a Department faculty member. Awards are highly competitive and are made on the basis of academic achievement. Candidates apply to and are nominated by the Department. Awards are made by a college committee.

Leslie N. Wilson Graduate Assistantships . Awards are made by Florida State University to African American United States citizens who are pursuing a graduate degree. Awards carry a $5,000 stipend for 9 months plus a 24 credit hour tuition waiver awarded to the recipient. Awardees work 10 hours per week for a Department faculty member. Candidates apply to and are nominated by the Department.

Delores Auzenne Fellowships . Awards are made by Florida State University to minority United States citizens who are pursuing a graduate degree in a field in which minority students have low representation, including planning. There is no work requirement, with a $5,000 stipend for 9 months awarded to the recipient. Candidates apply to and are nominated by the Department.

Doctoral Graduate Assistantships. Awards carry a stipend of up to $15,000 for 9 months, plus a 24 credit hour tuition waiver, each year for as many as three years. Students may teach one course each semester in the undergraduate program of the Department, under the general supervision of a faculty member. This provides the opportunity to develop teaching skills which, the Department believes, are an important adjunct to a student's academic training. The particular course a student may be required to teach will be matched, to the extent possible, with his or her interests and abilities. Criteria used in making these awards involve financial need, academic achievement, and potential or proven teaching skills. Awardees work 15 hours per week.

Graduate Research Assistantships. Awarded to master's and PhD students with 9-month stipends of $5,500 to $6,600 for master's students, and up to $15,000 for PhD students, plus a 24 credit hour tuition waiver. The student is assigned to work 15-16 hours per week with one or two faculty members. These assistantships provide an opportunity to gain valuable research experience under the direction of one of the faculty. Criteria for awarding research assistantships include financial need, academic achievement, and research skills.

Department Computer Assistant. Awardee works 16 hours per week, under the supervision of the College GIS Lab Director, as the Department's computer assistant. Level of stipend is $5,500 for 9 months plus 24 credit hour tuition waiver.

William G. Bell Social Policy Fellowship. This award, made in memory of Professor Bell, goes to a student who wishes to study in the area of social policy or the aged. Stipend covers 24 credit hours of in-state tuition for two semesters.

Richard A. Smith Memorial Scholarship. Stipend of $5,500 to $6,500 for 9 months plus 24 credit hour tuition waiver awarded to a master's student with outstanding credentials and demonstrated financial need. Awardees work 16 hours per week.

Mark and Alice Filteau Graduate Assistantship. Awarded to a graduate student with outstanding credentials and demonstrated financial need. Appointee works 16 hours per week with one or two faculty members. Stipend of $5,500 to 6,500 for 9 months plus 24 credit hour tuition waiver.

Peace Corps Campus Recruiter. Awarded to a master's or PhD student who serves as the Peace Corps recruiter for Florida State University . Stipend of $10,000 for 9 months plus 24 credit hour tuition waiver. Awardees work 20 hours per week.

HUD Community Development Work Study Assistantships. Applicants must be from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Two year appointment includes a $9,000 annual stipend for 12 months, and a 24 credit hour tuition and fee waiver per year, plus book and travel assistance. Appointees work cooperatively with a community development agency or organization in the Tallahassee region.

Florida Department of Transportation Mass Transit Fellow Internships. Appointees work part-time with a public transit agency during the academic year and full-time during one summer. Funding includes a $15,000 stipend for 12 months plus 24 credit hour tuition waiver. Awarded by the Department in consultation with FDOT.

Research Project Assistantships. These assistantships are similar to graduate research assistantships, but are financed from externally-funded research projects directed by Department faculty. The size, concerns, and duration of these projects vary considerably. Positions may become available at any time during the year. Students may wish to inquire about current research projects and personnel needs at the time of application for admission. Project directors make awards principally on the basis of academic achievement, research skills, experience, and interest in the project.

Cooperative Internships. Each year the Department arranges with a number of public agencies and private firms for Masters and PhD students to be placed in a professional planning or planning related field. Nine-month stipend of $6,000 to $8,000 plus 24 credit hour tuition waiver. Work requirements vary from 15-20 hours a week. Recent sponsors have included the Florida Trail Association, Blueprint 2000, Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida Spaceport Authority, Northwest Florida Water Management District, and several consulting firms located in Tallahassee .

Awards to entering graduate students are made only for study beginning in the Fall term. Application for Department-administered financial aid should be made before January 15 by submitting the Department's Application for Financial Aid. To request that a copy be mailed to you, U.S. students click here , international students click here .