Graduate Program Financial Assistance

Over 80 percent of the graduate students in Food Science and Human Nutrition currently are receiving financial aid, which comes primarily from one of three sources:

1. Departmental assistantships (teaching and research) and fellowships.
2. Grant support from individual professors.
3. Funding from sources external to MSU (government, foundation and other funding sources).

Availability of Graduate Funding

Graduate assistantships are available only to graduate students who are actively pursuing degree programs. Graduate assistants are appointed at one of three levels depending on qualifying experience. Each year the university establishes the range of stipend to be paid to graduate assistants at each level.

FSHN Faculty Research Project Funded Awards

Graduate Research Assistantships are offered by individual faculty holding research grants to U.S. and International students with outstanding GPAs and GREs. Applicants seeking these assistantships must demonstrate interest and knowledge in the area of research being investigated.

University Funded Awards

• Department Graduate Assistantships are offered to students with outstanding
  credentials. Graduate assistants at Michigan State University have many of the responsibilities and privileges of faculty members as well as students. Graduate assistantships are available only to graduate students who are actively pursuing degree programs. Graduate assistants are appointed at one of three levels depending on qualifying experience. Each year the university establishes the range of stipend to be paid to graduate assistants at each level.
• MSU Affirmative Action Graduate Assistantships are offered to U.S. minority
  students with outstanding credentials.
• MSU Graduate School Fellowships are offered primarily to U.S. students with
  outstanding credentials. Students receiving fellowships are not expected to meet
  a work requirement.

All applicants admitted to our graduate program are automatically considered for departmental assistantships and fellowships, which are assigned on a competitive basis. Each year about 8 to 10 departmental fellowships and assistantships are available for recruitment of new graduate students. Candidates are compared with a pool containing all other admitted students to rank and identify those applicants most qualified for financial aid. Assignment of fellowships and assistantships is made in January, February, March and April for the fall semester. Applications should be received before January 15 to receive optimum consideration for departmental financial aid. Departmental assistantships and fellowships are assigned for a one-year period. Financial aid is also available for students in later years of their graduate program. Complete details of the financial aid packages will be disclosed completely in discussions between the major adviser and the admitted applicant.

Outstanding applicants who wish to be considered for the MSU Hannah Distinguished Fellowship (four years of stipend plus student health insurance and a tuition and fee waiver) must apply before December 31. These applicants are nominated by the department for a campuswide competition for a limited number of Hannah Fellowships (approximately 20 each year for the entire university).

Funding provided by the applicant’s major professor (provided by grant funds) or through sources external to MSU is arranged through personal contact with the major professor. An extensive listing of external funding sources for graduate education is provided by the MSU library at the following Web site: www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/grants.htm

Financial assistance is also available to underrepresented minorities. Information on these financial aid packages is as follows.

For applicants to food science:

The Office of Diversity and Pluralism
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Michigan State University
101 Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Phone: (517) 432-1349

For applicants to food science or human nutrition:

Affirmative Action Graduate Financial Assistance Program
Owen Graduate Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1109
Phone (517) 353-1803

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