You Can Get A Graduate Agricultural Science Degree With A Scholarship

By Michelle Conner


Like most sciences, to truly advance in agriculture requires more than a four-year degree. Quite simply, you have to advance to at least a Master's degree and, eventually, a PhD. That's where a scientist gets to do the important research in the field, such as bio-engineering, land recovery, and researching diseases in farm animals. Before taking the next step in your life you should search for online degree to get more info.

Surprisingly, one of the two best sources for fellowships is universities themselves and the government. True, governments are usually not the best source for this kind of financial aid, but apparently, they make an exception when it comes to solving world hunger and nutritional considerations.

A good place to start is the US Dept. of Agriculture itself. It created the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants (NNF), specifically to aid Agriculture students in this quest. It awards minimum stipends of $18,500 per year for Master's studies and $24,500 annually for Doctoral and post-Doctoral studies. The NNF will also provide a bonus $3,000 for expenses, if the USDA approves of them. These stipends can also be renewed for one year.

Another government agency that is seriously invested in agriculture, particularly if it can be STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) related, is the National Science Foundation. It offers a program called the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Each year, it administers over 1,000 fellowships to Master's and PhD candidates. To apply for this, one must come up with a proposal offering original research in an area of need. Final determination of the amount of the grant is dependent on the proposal.

Outside of the government, there are societies like the American Society of Agronomy. Its Pioneer Fellowship in Plant Science is open to any post-graduate in an agronomic-related field, provided that he or she graduated with a 3.5 GPA in the core classes. If accepted, the recipient receives a stipend of $25,000 a year for as much as four years, provided he or she fills out an annual report on their progress as well.

Another group is the Sigma Xi fraternity. It has the Grants-In-Aid of Research program to assist post-graduates. It will contribute as much as $1,000 for expenses that are quite common inside this process. Like the NSF, this program is open to all forms of science, not just agriculture.

If a student intends to do work in the dairy field, the Kildee Graduate Scholarship was particularly developed for him or her. It is administered through the National Diary Shrine, who decides which currently active students are the best 25 in the country, based on the national contests, academic standing, leadership ability, student activities, future plans, and experience with dairy cattle. Those who make the cut are awarded $3,000. Taking the next step in your life can be stressful, but with a little bit of information on student scholarship you'll be better armed to handle it.




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