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• Arts & Sciences
• Graduate Studies in A&S

Funding and Support

We know a big part of your graduate school decision hinges on funding, both for your education and for research in your chosen field. We are dedicated to fully covering our Graduate students' needs, with most of our Ph.D. students receiving a stipend and full tuition coverage.

Washington University is committed to funding most Ph.D. students for 4-6 years, depending on the time needed to complete their particular program. Funding typically consists of full tuition remission and a 9 to12 month stipend to defray living expenses. Monetary support may come from the University or from outside sources, and it may be administered by an individual faculty member or by the staff of the program or school.

The majority of full-time students receive financial support through financial assistance, grants, loans, or Federal Work-Study Program opportunities. Financial assistance in the form of fellowships and mentorship are offered annually on a competitive basis through Arts & Sciences from government, private, unrestricted, or endowed sources. Also available are scholarships, fellowships, and clinical internships in applied social sciences; grants and fellowships in national competitions, and loans.

Washington University encourages and gives full consideration to all applicants for admission, financial aid, and mentorship. The University does not discriminate in access to, or treatment of mentees in, its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, veteran status, disability, or genetic information.

Inquiries about compliance should be addressed to: Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Washington University Campus Box 1184 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130

Specific information may be obtained from the departmental or administrative unit to which the student intends to apply.

Financial Aid FAQs

Guidelines, best practices, and additional information can be found in our Financial Aid FAQs

External Funding

external fellowships are a prestigious and valuable acknowledgment of intellectual pursuit and promise.

Student Loans

Students are encouraged to explore external funding opportunities before applying for loans. Please visit the University Awards page, Research page and U.S. Department of Labor Scholarship page for funding opportunities.

Students who would like to apply for federal financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the appropriate academic year. The FAFSA is available on October 1 of each year and should be completed with the student’s prior-year tax information, using the Washington University Federal School (OPEID) code of 002520 . 

Loan Repayment

Before taking out a loan, students are encouraged to utilize the loan simulator to estimate monthly repayments, which will begin after the grace period has ended.

Federal Direct Loan, Unsubsidized (Stafford)

This loan is available to all graduate students. The maximum award for each academic year is $20,500, with an aggregate total not to exceed $138,500 (undergraduate and graduate combined). For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Stafford loan has an origination fee of 1.057% and an interest rate of 7.05% which begins accruing when the loan is disbursed to the school. Students are not required to begin paying on the principal or the interest until after they complete their program or drop below half-time status. This loan has a six-month grace period.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

This loan is available to students needing financial assistance beyond the Unsubsidized (Stafford) loan. This loan is credit-based, has an origination fee of 4.228%, and an interest rate of 8.05% for the 2023-2024 academic year. The PLUS loan begins accruing interest when the loan is disbursed to the school. Like the unsubsidized loan, students are not required to begin repayment until after they complete their program or drop below half-time status. This loan also has a six-month grace period.

The Federal Direct unsubsidized loan and the federal direct graduate PLUS loan have a variable fixed interest rate. The interest rates for these loans may vary between academic years, however, once a loan has been processed, the interest rate for that loan is fixed for the life of the loan.

Federal Student Loan Application Documents (submitted for each academic year)

Please submit the following items to Janna Schmitt

• A budget for the upcoming academic year
• Excess Title IV funds usage authorization form
• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Student Loan Request form
• Unsubsidized Loan Application

Full list of funding and support resources

human resources

Child Day Care Subsidy

help for PhD student families to meet the costs of child day care tuition at licensed facilities

Quadrangle Housing

university owned properties in neighborhoods surrounding the WashU campus

Competitive Fellowships

The Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in Arts & Sciences

The Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowships in Arts & Sciences supports incoming Ph.D. and MFA students with the promise of exceptional academic distinction; with a demonstrated interest to advance the public good; and who will contribute to the diversity and intellectual vitality of our university community. Fellows will receive a merit stipend supplement in addition to their Arts & Sciences Fellowship or Research Assistantship for each year of funding support the student receives at Washington University. Moreover, there will be an annual summer supplement to support professional development or research activities. There will also be special Arts & Sciences programming and activities for this select group of Fellows. 

The Ann W. Spencer T. Olin-Chancellor’s Fellowship

The Ann W. and Spencer T. Olin – Chancellor’s Fellowship (OCF) is an elite cohort of outstanding graduate students with diverse backgrounds and from varied disciplines. The OCF is committed to promoting diversity in all dimensions including cultural, socioeconomic, gender, racial, ethnic, geographical, philosophical/religious, and other distinctive backgrounds and perspectives. Visit the fellowship page for details.

Elite Honors Society

Visit the Bouchet Honor Society page for more information, and to apply. 

Additional University Awards

A list of more awards and fellowships available at WashU

Still have questions?

• Administration
• Department Resources
• D423 Schedule
• K550 Schedule

GRADUATE PROGRAM

Here you'll find a year-by-year breakdown of the requirements for the PhD degree from the University of Washington Pharmacology Department, and well as information about your general exams, and selecting a Doctoral Supervisory Committee.

• PHARMACOLOGY COURSE OFFERINGS
• FIRST YEAR PhD REQUIREMENTS
• SECOND YEAR PhD REQUIREMENTS
• THIRD YEAR PhD REQUIREMENTS
• FOURTH YEAR AND BEYOND
• SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE
• GENERAL EXAM
• FINAL EXAMINATION

Pharmacology Graduate Program Overview Pharmacology explores the nature of interactions between drugs and biological systems, and their applications to the treatment of disease. Courses in this field are offered to graduate, medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, and other interested UW students.

The Department of Pharmacology offers the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

Admissions Requirement GRE Scores are not required. 

A baccalaureate degree with a major in any of the sciences, such as biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacy, physics, physiology, psychology, or zoology, is strongly advised. Students are selected from the applicant pool based on several criteria, including academic performance, letters of recommendation, and previous research experience.

Graduation Requirements Minimum of 90 credits, to include:

• Pharmacology 501-506 course series with a minimum grade of 2.7 for each course.
• Pharmacology 507 throughout graduate school (must attend 5 seminars).
• Pharmacology 514 in the first and second years of graduate study.
• Pharmacology 519 (laboratory rotations) during the first year of graduate study.
• Four advanced courses in Pharmacology.
• CONJ 531 (Signaling Mechanisms in Excitable Cells)
• One Quantitative Analysis course.
• Creditable passage of the General Examination. Thesis research beginning the second and subsequent years of study.
• Completion of an approved PhD dissertation and creditable passage of the Final Examination, which is the defense of the dissertation.

Time to Doctoral Degree The Graduate Program in the Pharmacology Department is designed to provide the guidance and mentoring necessary for graduate students to finish all course requirements and complete and defend their thesis research within a period of 6 years from matriculation. In the Winter quarter (Year 2) after entering their thesis lab, students will form and convene their Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee to review their progress in preparation for the general exam.

Following completion of the general exam, students are required to meet with their Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee at least once every 12 months. The committee and the student develop a definite plan of action for achieving specific goals, which will be summarized in the annual thesis committee report. Stipend and tuition support extending beyond year 6 are dependent on Thesis Committee approval and the advisor’s research funding or appropriate training grant support.

Financial Support Financial support is offered to students who maintain satisfactory academic progress. Tuition and stipends are provided by National Institutes of Health training grants, University of Washington teaching assistantships, individual research grants, and fellowships from private sources.

Contact Debbie Bale Box 357750 (206) 543-7485 [email protected]

Pharmacology Course Offerings

PHCOL 501 Drug Discovery and Emerging Therapeutics (2) Zheng Consideration of the general principles and current approaches involved in modern drug discovery and development, with an emphasis on basic concepts in drug action, delivery, and metabolism. Discussion of novel drug discovery techniques and emerging non-standard therapeutics. Lectures and student presentations. Prerequisite: basic knowledge of organic chemistry and biochemistry. Offered: A (first five weeks of the quarter).

PHCOL 502/CONJ 532 Signal Transduction from the Cell Membrane to the Nucleus (2) Scott, Ong Intracellular signaling pathways leading from cell membrane receptors to the nucleus. Pathways activated by seven transmembrane receptors and G-proteins, insulin/PI3 kinase, nitric oxide and WNTs and mechanisms of signal termination. Cytokine/Jak/Stat signaling and role of subcellular localization in signal transduction. Prerequisite: basic knowledge of biochemistry. Offered: Jointly with CONJ 532; A (second five weeks of the quarter).

PHCOL 503 Autonomic/Cardiovascular Pharmacology (2) Nathanson Consideration of the pharmacology of the cardiovascular and autonomic nervous systems. Emphasizes the mechanisms of neurotransmitter, hormone, drug action at autonomic synapses, and the molecular basis for physiology and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. Lectures, group discussion, and analysis of recent research. Prerequisite: organic chemistry, biochemistry, and introductory anatomy and physiology. Offered: W (first five weeks of the quarter).

PHCOL 504 Neuropharmacology (2) Bajjalieh, Yadav Consideration of the neurobiological basis of drug action on the central nervous system, including mechanism of action and therapeutic use in psychiatric disorders; neurodegeneration/neuroinflammation; control of neuronal excitability and pain; drug abuse and addiction. Lectures, group discussion, and analysis of recent research. Offered: W (second five weeks of the quarter).

PHCOL 505 Endocrine Pharmacology (2) McKnight, Sancak Consideration of the pharmacology of endocrine systems including the actions of hypothalamic/pituitary regulatory peptides, glycoprotein hormones/growth factors, peptide and steroid hormones. Lectures, group discussion, and analysis of recent research. Prerequisites: organic chemistry, biochemistry, and introductory anatomy and physiology. Offered: Sp (first five weeks of the quarter).

PHCOL 506 Immunopharmacology and Chemotherapeutics (2) McKnight, Shechner Basic principles of immunology as applied to immunopharmacology. Current overview of cancer chemotherapy and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Lectures, group discussions, student presentations, and analysis of recent research. Prerequisite: coursework in biochemistry and physiology. Offered: Sp (second five weeks of the quarter).

PHCOL 507 Pharmacology Seminar (1) Scott Presentation of comprehensive reports on recent medical and scientific literature in fields of current importance. Research progress reports and reports on results of completed research. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: AWSp.

PHCOL 514 Current Topics in Pharmacology (1) Faculty Requirement for first and second-year students.  Offered: AWSp.

PHCOL 519 Introduction to Laboratory Research in Pharmacology (4) Wang On a rotation basis, students carry out individual research projects in the laboratories of different faculty members with appointments in the Pharmacology department. At the end of each rotation, students make formal presentations of their work. For first-year graduate students in the Pharmacology program. Offered: A,W,Sp

PHCOL 550 Introduction to the Pharmacology Department (1) Wang Overview of the Pharmacology graduate program; presentation of program requirements including required courses and teaching opportunities.  Prerequisite: first-year graduate student in the Pharmacology program. Offered: A.

PHCOL 600 Independent Study or Research (*) AWSpS Faculty

PHCOL 800 Doctoral Dissertation (*) AWSpS Faculty

ADVANCED COURSES PHCOL 529 Ion Channel Pharmacology (2) Catterall, Sancak Recent work has shown that ion channels are often the targets of mutations which cause disease in humans and mice. Inherited diseases are known which affect voltage-gated sodium, calcium, potassium, and chloride channels, epithelial sodium channels, ATP-gated potassium channels, glycine receptors, and CFTR. We will use the inherited diseases and the naturally occurring mutations in these channel proteins as starting points to consider the structure, function, physiology, genetics, and pharmacology of these ion channels. The class will be in seminar format, with most presentations given by student participants. Prerequisites: Conj 531 and students are requested to review the lectures by Dr. Zagotta before the first class meeting. Offered: odd years; A.

PHCOL 531 Genetic Analysis of Signaling Systems (3) McKnight Current topics involving signal transduction will be discussed with an emphasis on genetic analysis of multicellular systems and creative experimental design. Prerequisites: permission of instructor. Offered: odd years; Sp.

PHCOL 534 Molecular Basis of Drug Addiction (2) Chavkin Advanced consideration of the effects of drugs on neurotransmission and higher order neural systems including current topics in receptor pharmacology, hormonal modulation of neuro signaling, effects of disease on neural circuits, regulation of synaptic plasticity, and mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Prerequisites: PHCOL 504 or permission of instructor. Offered: even years; A.

PHCOL 537 Molecular Neurobiology of the Cell Membrane (2) Nathanson Advanced consideration of the structure and function of cell membranes, membrane trafficking, exocytosis, endocytosis, membrane proteins, and lipid-mediated signal transduction. Processes important to nervous system functioning will be emphasized. Prerequisites: Neuro 501, 502, 503 or permission of instructor. Offered: odd years; W.

MEDCH 528 Biophysical Enzymology and Biopharmaceuticals (2) Atkins Covers in-depth treatment of chemical catalysis and transition state theory as related to enzyme mechanisms; thermodynamics and kinetics of protein-ligand interactions, protein-protein-interactions and protein-lipid interactions, and methods for their study. Discusses therapeutically relevant examples, including viruses, therapeutic antibodies, and drug targets. Offered: even years; W.

MEDCH 541 Biological Mass Spectrometry (3) Whittington Covers the basics of modern ionization methods and mass analyzers; small molecule structure assignment, quantitative assay development by LC-MS and metabolomics; quantitative discovery-based proteomics and validation methods; and peptide sequence determination, post-translational modification mapping, and protein structure determination methods. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: Sp.

PhD Requirements and Curriculum: First Year

Students engage in three different laboratory rotations and take classes in different aspects of pharmacology. The rotations provide students the opportunity to examine different biological problems and work in different lab environments, one of which will ultimately become their dissertation laboratory.

Fall Quarter: PHCOL 501 – Drug Discovery and Emerging Therapeutics (2 credits) PHCOL 502/CONJ 532 – Signal Transduction from the Cell Membrane to the Nucleus (2 credits) PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 514 – Current Topics in Pharmacology  (1 credit) PHCOL 519 – Introduction to Laboratory Research in Pharmacology (4 credits) PHCOL 550 – Introduction to the Department (1 credit) CONJ 531 – Signaling Mechanisms in Excitable Cells (1.5 credits)

Additional Courses: Students can take one Advanced Pharmacology course and/or additional graded approved courses selected from the list of approved courses. Students should not register for more than 18 total credits.

Winter Quarter: PHCOL 503- Autonomic/Cardiovascular Pharmacology (2 credits) PHCOL 504 – Neuropharmacology (2 credits) PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 514 – Current Topics in Pharmacology (1 credit) PHCOL 519 – Introduction to Laboratory Research in Pharmacology (4 credits)

Spring Quarter: PHCOL 505 – Endocrine Pharmacology (2 credits) PHCOL 506 – Immunopharmacology and Chemotherapy (2 credits) PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 514 – Current Topics in Pharmacology (1 credit) PHCOL 519 – Introduction to Laboratory Research in Pharmacology (4 credits)

Summer Quarter:  Register for UCONJ 510 (2 credits)   OR  PHCOL 600 – Research (2 credits) (UCONJ 510 space is limited, register early!)

Students should register for 2 credits MAX.

Biomedical Research Integrity Lecture Series : Students attend a minimum of 2 lectures and 2 discussion sessions.

Student Advising and Evaluation Dr. Edith Wang advises first-year graduate students and is responsible for overseeing the activities of individual students including course registration, laboratory rotation selection, and selection of their thesis advisor and Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee members.

The progress of Pharmacology students is reported quarterly to the Pharmacology Faculty. This report is based on the student’s performance during lab rotations and coursework.

At the end of the Spring Quarter of the first year, students select a thesis advisor (with the approval of the Department Chair) who will be the Chair of their Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee.

Laboratory Rotations Laboratory rotations are designed to provide first-year students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the theoretical and technical approaches to research that are practiced in different laboratories. This experience helps students to select a permanent lab in which to conduct their thesis research. Students complete three 10-week rotations in the labs of their choice during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters of their first year.

At the completion of each laboratory rotation, students provide a title and abstract describing the objectives, results, and conclusions of their research project and present a short research talk to fellow students and faculty in the Pharmacology Department. The rotation advisor provides a numerical grade and written evaluation of the student’s performance in the lab and the rotation talk. The student receives a copy of the evaluation, which becomes a part of the student’s academic file.

Students with a Master’s degree and significant research experience may petition the Pharmacology Graduate Program Committee to reduce the number of laboratory rotations required before selecting a thesis advisor.

Selection of Dissertation Advisor By the end of the eighth week of Spring quarter (mid-May), each student must notify Dr. John Scott (Pharmacology’s Chair) of their first and second choices for a thesis advisor. Finding a mentor who agrees to accept the student into his/her lab is a qualifying step for continuation in the Pharmacology graduate program and a successful graduate career.

With the approval of the Department Chair and completion of their Spring Quarter rotation, the student moves to their thesis advisor laboratory for the remainder of their graduate studies.

Biomedical Research Integrity The summer series on Biomedical Research Integrity (BRI) was developed by the UW School of Medicine in response to a directive from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requiring that all graduate students supported by NIH training grants be provided with training in the ethics of research. Additionally, the Medical School Executive Committee recommends that all trainees, regardless of funding source, participate in the BRI Series during their training.

The Department of Pharmacology requires all Pharmacology graduate students to complete the course in research ethics during their study in the department. It is a requirement for graduation, whether or not you may be supported on a NIH training grant. The Department office will receive an attendance sheet; the fulfillment of the requirement is documented.

It is required that first-year students take a minimum of two lectures and two discussion groups from the Biomedical Research Integrity Series. When you are on a training grant, it is essential to check with the administrators of the training grant every year to ensure compliance with specific requirements for your training grant.

PhD Requirements and Curriculum: Second Year

Students begin work on their dissertation research project, select their Doctoral Supervisory Committee, and prepare for the written portion of the General Exam.

Fall Quarter: PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 514 – Current Topics in Pharmacology (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Register for your Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 600 – Research (Variable credits) The number of credits to register for will vary. Student must register for at least 10 total credits and no more than 18 total credits during any given Quarter, except Summer Quarter.

Additional Courses: Students can take one Advanced Pharmacology course and/or additional graded approved course.

Winter Quarter: PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 514 – Current Topics in Pharmacology (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Register for your Thesis Advisor’s lab meeting course. PHCOL 600 – Research (Variable credits) See Autumn Quarter for explanation.

Spring Quarter: PHCOL507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 514 – Current Topics in Pharmacology (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Register for your Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 600 – Research (Variable credits) See Autumn Quarter for explanation.

Summer Quarter: PHCOL 600 – Research (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Students register for their Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. Students should not register for more than 2 total credits during Summer quarter.

Teaching Requirement Teaching experience is considered an important aspect of training in the Pharmacology graduate program.  Students serve as Teaching Assistants for one quarter of the Pharmacology 500 series during their second year or may choose to participate in a community outreach teaching experience. The TA experience begins with participation in the TA workshop on Teaching & Learning offered by UW in September. TA responsibilities for courses include attending all sessions, supporting 1st year graduate students, preparing and delivering lectures, management of class discussion and grading of student presentations. If you prefer to participate in a community outreach TA experience, please contact Dr. Stan McKnight ( [email protected] ) for more details.

University of Washington Resources for Teaching: http://www.washington.edu/teaching  

Choosing Your Doctoral Supervisory Committee  During the Autumn Quarter of the second year, students (with the advice of the Thesis Advisor and the Graduate Program Committee) select faculty members to serve on their Doctoral Thesis Supervisory committee. The Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee consists of the thesis advisor, Graduate School Representative (GSR), and Pharmacology faculty and faculty members from other departments most familiar with the student’s dissertation research area.

At least five, but no more than seven faculty members are recommended on the Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee. The majority of the Committee members should have a primary appointment in the Department of Pharmacology. At least one, but no more than three (including the Graduate School Representative), should hold primary appointments outside of the Department of Pharmacology. Only one committee member may be a faculty member who is not a member of the Graduate Faculty. The chair of the Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee (Thesis Advisor) and the Graduate School Representative (GSR) must be in attendance at the General Examination and at the Final Examination.

Criteria for selecting the Graduate School Representative (GSR)

• The GSR cannot have an appointment within the Pharmacology department
• The GSR has no conflict of interest with the committee chair(s)/student (i.e., budgetary, familial, romantic).
• The GSR must be a Graduate Faculty member with an endorsement to chair doctoral committees.
• The GSR cannot have an affiliate or adjunct appointment with the Pharmacology department.

The names of Committee members must be submitted to Debbie Bale, who submits the information to the Graduate School with the authority of the Graduate Program Director.

Individual Development Plan (IDP) Preliminary Review Pharmacology graduate students in their second year of graduate school are required to create an IDP and schedule a preliminary review that will prepare them for a successful future career. Please see the following guidelines for details about “ Creating an IDP “.

Preliminary Review For the preliminary review, you should plan to present the general area/ideas of your thesis project. The primary purpose is to allow committee members to provide feedback on your potential thesis project and to help you formulate the actual specific aims of your future General Exam research proposal. This meeting also will allow you to get to know your committee members before your General Exam.

Students are required to convene a preliminary review meeting with their committee members before the end of Winter quarter of their second year.

Written Component of General Examination  The written portion of the General Examination is scheduled by Dr. Wang during the month of June or July for graduate students to take at the end of their second year. The purpose of this examination is to evaluate the student’s knowledge and understanding of basic pharmacology and the medical sciences (e.g., biochemistry, physiology, molecular/cellular biology, etc.) and their ability to apply this knowledge. The exam is take-home and consists of questions written by members of the Pharmacology faculty.

Questions will be graded by the authoring faculty members and an evaluation of overall performance on the exam will be provided to each student. Areas of perceived weakness will be noted and may be reexamined during the oral portion of the General Examination. Results of the Written General Examination will be included as a permanent part of the student’s record.

PhD Requirements and Curriculum: Third Year

The student continues on dissertation work and takes the oral General Examination.

Third Year Courses

Fall Quarter: PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Students register for your Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 600 – Research (Variable credits)

Students can take one Advanced Pharmacology course and/or additional graded approved course. Students should not register for more than 18 total credits.

  Winter Quarter: PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Students register for their Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 800 – Research (Variable credits) For students who have passed the Pharmacology written and oral General Examinations. The number of credits to register for will vary. Students must be registered for a minimum of 10 total credits and no more than 18 total credits each Quarter (except Summer Quarter).

Spring Quarter: PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) – Students register for Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 800 – Research (Variable credits)

Summer Quarter: PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) – Students register for their Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 800 – Doctoral Dissertation (1 credit)

*Students supported by a training grant may need to attend required Biomedical Research Integrity Lecture Series lectures and discussions. Check with your training grant administrator for specific details.

Oral Component of General Examination Students schedule the oral General Examination, which is administered by the Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee, during the Fall Quarter of their third year of graduate studies. The oral General Examination is chaired by a departmental faculty member who is not the Thesis Advisor. The chairing faculty member will be designated by the Thesis Advisor prior to the exam with the concurrence of the Graduate Program Committee. The examination is based, in part, on an evaluation of the student’s proposed research for the dissertation and on his or her knowledge of the disciplines important to the research.

A short thesis research proposal (in the style of an NIH F31 NRSA proposal) will be provided by the student to his/her/their Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee members at least one week prior to the oral General Examination. During the oral examination,  the student will present the background for the proposed research, thesis proposal, and dissertation research progress. This will be followed by questions from the Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee on issues related to the background and thesis proposal.

• 20-minute uninterrupted talk on background
• 20-minute faculty questions on foundational knowledge of their fields
• 20-minute uninterrupted talk on proposed research
• Up to 60 minutes faculty questions the proposed research, general knowledge of pharmacology and related disciplines

The duration may be influenced by the student’s previous performance on the written general examination and in-class work. Each Committee member will be invited to ask a series of questions on general knowledge.

On the basis of an evaluation of student performance on all portions of the general examination (written general examination, oral presentation, and defense of the thesis proposal), the committee recommends one of the following: 1) approval of candidacy towards the Ph.D. degree, 2) further work and subsequent reexamination (over specific areas or in total), or 3) termination from the program.

After successful completion of the oral General Examination, graduate students enroll in PHCOL 800 rather than PHCOL 600. This reflects the change in status from a pre-candidate to a candidate for the doctoral degree.

Steps To Your Oral General Examination Contact your Thesis Advisor and committee members to find a suitable date. Your Graduate School Representative (GSR), Thesis Advisor, and two other committee members must be in attendance. When you have confirmed the date and time with your committee, notify Debbie Bale – ( [email protected] ) and a suitable location will be scheduled.

After you have a room reservation, date, and time for your oral General Examination, you will need to submit your request for a General Examination online through MyGrad: https://grad.uw.edu/mygrad-program/ at least three weeks in advance of the exam date. Notify Debbie after you have submitted your request so that she can approve the date and time of your exam.

At least two weeks before the oral General Examination, a written description of your thesis proposal must be circulated to your supervisory committee for them to review. A copy should be given to Debbie for your file. Specific guidelines for the written thesis research proposal will be provided to students at the beginning of the Fall quarter in their 3rd year.

Prior to the oral General Examination, Debbie will provide the necessary warrant that will be given to your Advisor. Each member of your supervisory committee who is present must sign the document.

If it is not possible to schedule your oral General Examination by the stated deadline, please contact Dr. Edith Wang ( [email protected] ).

PhD Requirements and Curriculum: Fourth and Subsequent Years

The student continues with their dissertation research and prepares for their dissertation defense.

Fall/Winter/Spring Quarter: PHCOL 507 – Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit) PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Students register for your Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 800 – Doctoral Dissertation (Variable credits)

Summer Quarter: PHCOL 560-577 (1 credit) Students register for their Thesis Advisor’s laboratory meeting course. PHCOL 800 – Doctoral Dissertation (1 credit)

Annual Review of Dissertation Progress In Winter quarter of your fourth year and each subsequent years until the doctoral defense, the student will be reviewed annually by their Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee regarding their dissertation progress. The student prepares a two-page status report, which is circulated to the Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee and meets with the Committee for a discussion of their dissertation research progress and future plans. The annual review must be completed by the end of the Winter Quarter each year.

Laura Sheard Graduate Lecture Fourth year students will select the lecture speaker and will consult with the department’s seminar co-chairs prior to inviting the speaker. Student will also host a lunch and dinner with the speaker. Full details will be shared before the beginning of your fourth year. To learn more about the lecture, please visit: https://pharmacology.uw.edu/seminars/laura-sheard-lecture/

Final Examination When you and your supervisory committee have agreed you are ready to graduate, you will select a Reading Committee, a subgroup of at least three members of your Supervisory Committee, who will be appointed to read and approve your dissertation. It is the responsibility of a Reading Committee to (a) ensure that the dissertation is a significant contribution to knowledge and is an acceptable piece of scholarly writing; (b) determine the appropriateness of a candidate’s dissertation as a basis for issuing a warrant for a Final Examination and; (c) approve a candidate’s dissertation.

Once you have selected the Reading Committee, contact Debbie Bale ( [email protected] ) with the names of your choice, Debbie will enter the Reading Committee member names into MyGrad to inform the Dean of the Graduate School. Your Reading Committee will approve your dissertation online through the MyGrad Committee View portal. Instructions will be given to them by email from the Graduate School.

Next, you will need to select a date for the thesis defense that is acceptable to your Supervisory Committee members and you. After a date has been selected, contact Debbie to reserve a room for your defense. After a room has been reserved, log In to  MyGrad: https://grad.uw.edu/mygrad-program/ to schedule your doctoral final exam. Contact Debbie after you have entered the information in MyGrad for approval.

The other formalities regarding the final submission of your dissertation are all detailed very nicely, with each step delineated, at the following website:  https://grad.uw.edu/current-students/enrollment-through-graduation/graduation-requirements/

If you have any questions, please contact Debbie.

Choosing the Doctoral Supervisory Committee

During the Autumn Quarter of the second year, the student (with the advice of the Thesis Advisor and the Graduate Program Committee) selects a Doctoral Thesis Supervisory committee and is required to convene a preliminary meeting with the committee. The Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee generally includes:

• Pharmacology faculty most familiar with the area of the student’s research.
• At least five but no more than seven members.
• The majority of the Committee members should have primary appointments in Pharmacology.
• At least one, but no more than three (including the Graduate School Representative), should be faculty members that do not hold primary appointments in Pharmacology.
• The chair of the Doctoral Thesis Supervisory Committee (Thesis Advisor) and the Graduate School Representative must be in attendance at the General Exam and at the Final Exam.
• The GSR cannot have an appointment within Pharmacology.
• The GSR cannot have an affiliate or adjunct appointment.

Once selected, the names of the Committee members are submitted to the Graduate Program Specialist, who submits them to the Graduate School with authority of the Graduate Program Advisor.

UW Graduate School references

https://grad.uw.edu/policies-procedures/graduate-school-memoranda/memo-13-supervisory-committee-for-graduate-students/

Written Component of General Examination

The written portion of the General Examination is scheduled during the month of June at the end of their second year. The purpose of this examination is to evaluate the student’s knowledge and understanding of basic pharmacology and the medical sciences (e.g., biochemistry, physiology, molecular/cellular biology, etc.) and their ability to apply this knowledge. The exam is take home and consists of questions submitted by members of the Pharmacology faculty. Questions will be graded by the authoring faculty members and an evaluation of overall performance on the exam will be provided to the student. Areas of perceived weakness will be noted and may be reexamined during the oral portion of the General Examination. Results of the written General Examination will be entered into the file as a permanent part of the student’s record.

For more information please visit the UW Graduate School’s General Examination webpage: https://grad.uw.edu/policies-procedures/doctoral-degree-policies/general-examination-admission-to-candidacy-for-doctoral-degree/

Steps To Your Oral General Examination

• Contact your Thesis Advisor and committee members to find a suitable date. Your Graduate School Representative (GSR), Thesis Advisor and two other committee members must be in attendance. When you have confirmed the date and time with your committee, notify Debbie Bale ([email protected]) and a suitable location will be scheduled.
• After you have identified a date for your oral General Examination, you will need to submit your request for a General Examination online through  MyGrad at least three weeks in advance of the exam date. Notify Debbie after you have submitted your request so that she can approve the date and time of your exam.
• Prior to the exam, your Thesis Advisor should review your academic record (including your performance on the written General Examination) to advise you of any areas of general knowledge that require special attention.
• At least two weeks before the oral General Examination, a short written description of your thesis proposal must be circulated to your supervisory committee for them to review. A copy should be given to Debbie for your file. Specific guidelines for the written thesis research proposal will be provided to students at the beginning of the Fall quarter in their 3rd year.
• Prior to the oral General Examination, your advisor will designate another committee member to chair the oral General Examination. For the examination, be prepared to give a thirty-minute description of your thesis proposal and research progress. This will be followed by thirty to sixty minutes of questions from your committee on issues related to the proposal. After the proposal-related questions, anticipate questions on general knowledge of pharmacology and related disciplines.Debbie will provide the necessary warrant that will be given to your Advisor. Each member of your supervisory committee who is present must sign the document.
• If it is not possible to schedule your oral General Examination by the stated deadline, please speak with Dr. Edith Wang.

Steps to Your Dissertation

The first step to your dissertation is to select a Reading Committee, a subgroup of at least three members of your Supervisory Committee who will be appointed to read and approve your dissertation. It is the responsibility of a Reading Committee to (a) ensure that the dissertation is a significant contribution to knowledge and is an acceptable piece of scholarly writing; (b) determine the appropriateness of a candidate’s dissertation as a basis for issuing a warrant for a Final Examination and; (c) approve a candidate’s dissertation.

Once you have selected the Reading Committee, contact Debbie Bale ( [email protected] ) with the names of your choice, Debbie will enter the Reading Committee member names into MyGrad to inform the Dean of the Graduate School. (After you submit your thesis, your Reading Committee will approve your dissertation online through the MyGrad Committee View portal. Instructions will be given to them by email from the Graduate School.)

Next, you will need to select a date for the thesis defense that is acceptable to your Supervisory Committee members and you. Contact Debbie with the date and time for room reservations. After a room has been reserved, go to your MyGrad account to schedule your doctoral final exam. Debbie will approve the date and time; an email confirmation from the Graduate School will be sent to all your committee members after approval.

The other formalities regarding the final submission of your dissertation are all detailed very nicely, with each step delineated, on the UW Graduate School Thesis/Dissertation webpage.

If you have any questions, please contact Debbie ([email protected]).

Future Students

Ph.d. program admission.

Application deadline: January 6, 2025

This advanced program trains engineers for leadership roles in academia, industry and research institutions.

Applications must be submitted through the UW Graduate School Online Application . The application process is summarized below.

Our Doctor of Philosophy is a demanding, world-class research program in advanced materials science and engineering. Ph.D. students in our department are prepared to assume leadership roles in academia, industry, and research institutions.

Admission requirements

Previous academic preparation.

An undergraduate or master's degree in materials science and engineering, or in a relevant field of study such as another engineering major, physics or chemistry, is required.

Minimum GPA and exam scores

The University of Washington Graduate School requires an applicant to have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered eligible for admission. Beyond this, our department does not maintain a fixed minimum. However, admission to our department is competitive. Over the past five years, the average GPA for admitted students was 3.7.

English Proficiency

Proficiency in English is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. If an exam is required, applicants must meet the recommended test scores of 92 TOEFL, 120 DUO, or 7.0 IELTS for consideration. This exam is waived if previous degree was earned in the US, or at least 3 years of degree completion with all instruction in English. See complete requirements .

When to apply

The department accepts new Ph.D. students for autumn quarter only. Completed applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm (Pacific Time) on the deadline date.

Autumn 2024 Application Deadline: Friday, January 5 (11:59 PM Pacific Time Zone), 2024.

The department does not review applications until after the deadline has passed. You can monitor the status of your application by logging in to the application system. If we have any questions regarding your application, we will contact you.

A select group of applicants will be contacted by early February for individual meetings with faculty. The department strives to provide decisions to all applicants by early March. Decisions are sent via email. Applicants denied admission for the Ph.D. Program can request consideration for the Applied Masters Program. The actual date of notification will vary depending on factors such as the size of the applicant pool.

How to apply

You must submit the following materials in order for your application to be complete:

• UW Graduate School Application  
• Resume/CV  
• Transcripts We only require transcripts from institutions where you received (or will receive) a degree. Please do not mail official paper transcripts. These will only be requested if an offer of admission is made. Electronic transcripts must clearly show the institution's name, the student's name, a list of all courses taken and all grades received, and the title and date of any degrees conferred. Electronic transcripts must be in PDF format.  
• Statement of purpose A statement of purpose should convey information not available on your transcripts or resume. It should be approximately one page in length and offer a clear overview of your reasons for pursuing this graduate degree, your previous preparation, your research experience and interests, and your plans for seeing this degree through to completion. Other relevant information may also be included.  
• Three letters of recommendation Letters from academic references are preferred, but relevant professional references are also acceptable. Strong letters will be substantive, specific, and will address (1) an applicant's technical experience and research ability, (2) the applicant's likelihood of success in graduate-level studies, and (3) the relevance/appropriateness of the MSE program for the applicant's future goals.  
• Professors of interest Within the application, you will indicate 1-3 professors who are of interest to you.  
• English proficiency English language exams may be required by the Graduate School for applicants who do not hold a degree from a U.S. institution. Read further details regarding English proficiency requirements . Teaching Assistantships (TAs) will only be offered to international candidates who meet additional English language conditions outlined in UW Graduate School policy .

Optional: GRE scores GRE scores may be submitted, but they are not required. Institution Code: 4854. The admissions committee will only review GRE scores if they cannot make a decision based on the required documents. 

Notification

The department does not review any applications until after the deadline has passed. You can monitor the status of your application by logging in to the application system. If we have any questions or concerns regarding your application,  we will contact you .

The department strives to provide decisions within 8-10 weeks of the application deadline. However, the actual date of notification will vary depending on factors such as the size of the applicant pool. You will be notified via email when a final decision has been made.

International applicants

If you hold an appropriate undergraduate degree from an accredited university, you are eligible to apply to the Ph.D. program. If you are admitted as a full-time, on-campus student, you will be eligible for a visa, issued through the UW Graduate School, subject to certain restrictions and requirements.

When preparing your application, be certain to provide legible, fully translated copies of your undergraduate transcripts.

View the 2020 Info session

The graduate adviser, program directors, graduate faculty and students discuss the master's and Ph.D. programs. Learn about faculty research, the application process, the student experience, and more.

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Graduate Funding

Department funding packages.

Our current funding package consists of 50% FTE Academic Student Employee (ASE) appointments (mostly Teaching Assistant positions) for the first five academic years of the program (Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters). All department funding is contingent upon continued satisfactory academic progress.

See TA/RA/SA Employment Information for details on ASE appointments.

Note: While we only guarantee department funding for the first five years in the program, it is our current practice to do our best to maintain financial support to all of our students who are in good standing.

Fellowship Quarter

We do our best to provide first year students with one quarter of fellowship funding (a quarter off from teaching) in order to focus more deeply on research. This funding is dependent upon available department resources.

In recent years we have been able to provide incoming students with a small moving stipend in the first year, and summer stipends in the first two summers, contingent upon satisfactory academic progress. This funding is dependent upon available department resources.

Teaching Assistant

Most department funding comes in the form of Teaching Assistantships. TAs are an integral part of our undergraduate teaching in the department and our graduate students get a broad range of experience teaching multiple subfields of philosophy. Teaching assistants work with the faculty, attend lectures, lead discussion sections, hold office hours, and grade weekly assignments, essays, and exams.

Research Assistant

The department currently has a few Research Assistant positions. These include:

Program on Ethics Research Assistant – The Program on Ethics typically hires one RA per year in order to provide administrative assistance, outreach and event planning, as well as research assistance for the Program Director and core faculty. Graduate Students beyond the 2 nd year are eligible to apply for this position.

Managing Editor of Philosophy of Science – The PHOS RA works with Editor-in-Chief, Andrea Woody, to handle various administrative duties for the journal Philosophy of Science .

Neuroethics Research Assistant – Neuroethics RAs report to the Neuroethics Thrust Lead, Sara Goering, and work closely with her and with scientists at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) on neuroethics-related projects.

Summer Teaching

Students who are Ph.D. candidates and are eligible to teach their own courses may be able to teach during summer quarter. Teaching a course during summer quarter does not count as part of a guaranteed funding package. Many factors go into assigning summer teaching positions. Satisfactory progress and teaching performance are important considerations for these positions, as are the number of positions available, whether the student has exhausted funding eligibility, the length of time the student has been in the program, the kinds of courses offered during that term, and the kinds of courses a particular student is prepared to teach. Summer teaching is run by the Summer Programs office and courses run based on enrollment.

Hourly Student Appointments

In some instances, graduate students may be hired for other employment on an hourly basis. Pay rates for hourly work depend on the nature of the work, and as of January 2021 range from $16.69 to $32.21/hour.

Writing Center Supervisor

The Department typically hires one graduate student each academic year to serve as the supervisor of the Philosophy Writing Center. The Writing Center Supervisor oversees the running of the writing center, supervising and scheduling undergraduate tutors and covering some tutoring shifts themselves. This is a part-time hourly position usually held in addition to a TAship.

Travel Funding

The Department has some funds available for graduate student travel to conferences, and is able to apply for travel funding from the Graduate School on behalf of students. See the Department Graduate Student Travel policy for information on eligibility and procedures.

Students may also apply for travel funding from the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS). See GPSS Funding Opportunities for more details.

Melvin Rader Summer Grants for Innovative Philosophical Projects

Thanks to generous support from the Melvin Rader fund, the philosophy department is sometimes able to offer a competitive program to distribute small summer grants to advanced philosophy graduate students (3 rd year and beyond). These grants, for up to $2,000, help fund innovative philosophical projects that contribute to the student’s scholarship, teaching, and/or professional development. Projects that are related to the student’s dissertation topic are encouraged. This funding is dependent upon available department resources.

Non-Departmental Funding

Fellowships & scholarships.

In addition to support from the Department of Philosophy, our graduate students frequently make use of a variety of external fellowship and employment opportunities from across campus as well as national and international competitive fellowships.

• Philosophy for Children Graduate Fellowships – Several of our graduate students participate in this affiliate program.
• The Graduate School List of Fellowships – The Graduate School provides its own fellowships and administers several external national fellowships as well. The list also includes other fellowships for graduate students that are not administered by the Graduate School.
• GO-MAP Diversity Fellowships – This is a subset of the Graduate School’s fellowship list and includes information on fellowships intended to support underrepresented minority graduate students who show evidence of strong academic achievement in the face of social, economic, and/or educational disadvantages. Many of these require departmental nomination.
• College of Arts & Sciences Humanities Scholarships – The Dean’s Office at the College of Arts & Sciences administers several humanities scholarships. Philosophy students have recently been awarded Alvord Endowed Fellowships in the Humanities as well as Fritz/Hunter/Macfarlane Humanities Scholarships. These fellowships require departmental nomination.
• Simpson Center for the Humanities – The Simpson Center is an excellent source of Humanities funding for a variety of projects.
• GFIS – The Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS), based in the Allen Library Research Commons, provides information for funding beyond campus as well. Besides their blog, their resources include funding databases (personal consultations are available for help with using the databases).

Teaching & Other Employment

• Instructor positions at the Robinson Center for Young Scholars
• Graduate student employment in other UW departments – From time to time other Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, or Staff Assistant positions for graduate students may be available in other academic departments, administrative offices, or even the University Press. Keep abreast of current opportunities by following the Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS) Blog (subscribe for email updates) and checking the UW jobs page, UWHires (search for category “Academic Student Employee”).
• Teaching Outside the UW – Advanced PhD candidates who are beyond their funding packages and/or are seeking additional teaching experience may also consider seeking employment at other Seattle-area institutions such as Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, and Seattle Colleges (Central, North, South, SVI).
• Off-Campus Employment – Some graduate students seek non-academic job experience while completing their dissertations. The Department and the Career & Internship Center have resources available to help in a non-academic job search.

Financial Aid

You might also explore UW Student Financial Aid for additional options.

Emergency Aid

Emergency Aid assists students who are experiencing unexpected financial hardships that may disrupt their education or prevent them from earning their UW degree.

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Biochemistry Graduate Program

We seek Ph.D. applicants who show great promise of successful careers in research.

Our applicants typically have strong undergraduate records, as well as previous laboratory experience and demonstrated experimental talents. We encourage applications from students in many different undergraduate majors, because the challenges of modern biochemistry demand interdisciplinary skills. However, most applicants have completed undergraduate courses in calculus, general physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, or an advanced quantitative science such as physical chemistry.

The first year of the graduate program consists of formal lecture courses, three intensive laboratory “rotations” of three months each, and seminar courses in timely topics ranging from protein structure and function, to molecular and cellular biology. Courses emphasize critical thinking, and frequent faculty contact. Students are free to design individual course schedules that focus on macromolecular structure, biochemistry, or molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. By the end of the first year, students choose a thesis advisor and thesis project, and assemble a thesis committee of three to five faculty members who will provide advice throughout the period of doctoral work. Thesis research dominates the second and third years, although students often take a few additional courses. The department considers teaching experience to be an essential aspect of graduate education, so all students also serve as teaching assistants in two different courses, each lasting one academic quarter. Thesis research is usually completed, and the thesis written, during the fifth year. A detailed description of our graduate program and curriculum may be found under Graduate Program Guidelines.

New students enter the graduate program at the beginning of the Autumn Quarter. The application process is described in detail  here . A strong college transcript is helpful, but most important are letters of recommendation from faculty who know you well, or have guided your research. The Admissions Committee will use all of this information, together with invited personal interviews, to admit a class of six to ten students each year, with the final selection occurring in the spring.

The department provides tuition and stipend for all students in good standing throughout their graduate work. The department also encourages you to apply for predoctoral fellowship support from the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), or other agencies.

Remembering Eddy Fischer

A celebration of Eddy’s life and work was held on October 22, 2021. Please click here to stream a recording of the event.

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TA/RA Salaries

Information about salary schedules and salary administration.

• Salary Schedule Definitions and Policies
• Excess Workload Compensation Policy  (to be used when workload is more than 50% FTE)

All of the schedules below are printable PDFs.

Salary Schedules Effective July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024

• Regular (Non-Variable Rate) TA/RA/SA Salary Schedule
• Variable Rate RA Salary Schedule
• Variable Rate TA Salary Schedule  
• Summer 2023 Graduate Research Student Assistant (GRSA) Salary Schedule . GRSA job code information can be found in  Article 25 of the UAW 4121 union contract . Departments using the hourly GRSA schedules should use the schedule for  summer 2022  for the 6/16–6/30 pay period and then update the amount after July 1.
• Summer Teaching Supplement Instructions

Salary Schedules Effective July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023

• Summer 2022 Graduate Research Student Assistant (GRSA) Salary Schedule . GRSA job code information can be found in  Article 25 of the UAW 4121 union contract . Departments using the hourly GRSA schedules should use the schedule for  summer 2021  for the 6/16–6/30 pay period and then update the amount after July 1.

Salary Schedules Effective July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022

• Variable Rate TA Salary Schedule 
• Summer 2021 Graduate Research Student Assistant (GRSA) Salary Schedule . GRSA job code information can be found in  Article 25 of the UAW 4121 union contract . Departments using the hourly GRSA schedules should use the schedule for  summer 2020  for the 6/16–6/30 pay period and then update the amount after July 1.

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• Arts & Sciences
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Graduate Program

The Department of Chemistry offers a PhD in Chemistry that prepares scientists for careers in research and teaching. The program offers pathways for graduate studies that span biological, organic, inorganic, physical, and nuclear chemistry. Key to the success of the students and the Chemistry PhD program is the strong interpersonal connections that develop between our students and the faculty and that often lead to new research directions and bridges being built between disciplines. As a result, doctoral students commonly pursue research at the interface of two or more subfields of chemistry. During the first semester of residence in the program, students are given the opportunity to explore research options within the department and to identify research mentors with common interests. The PhD requirements are kept to a minimum so that students can focus on scientific discover and building skillsets for successful careers.

WashU and the Department of Chemistry are proud of our faculty , of our facilities , of our research accomplishments and accolades, and of our educational reputation . Most of all, we are proud of our students, their successes in research, and their career endeavors. While the Chemistry PhD program is considered large, it is small enough that interactions between the hardworking, driven students and its passionate faculty provide invaluable experiences that contribute to the PhD experience.

The Graduate Program

Faculty and current students talk about the strengths of the department and Washington University

Chemistry award winners and graduates 2024

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce and congratulate our 2024 research and teaching award winners and graduating students!

Sprunger selected as 2024 doctoral student speaker

Program highlights.

Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Research

As research knows no boundaries or titles, the Chemistry PhD program offers research and training opportunities in many sub-disciplines of chemistry, including magnetic resonance, materials and nanoscience, and laser spectroscopy. Current collaborations include those with faculty in Washington University's McKelvey School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, national laboratories, and scientists in industry.

Research Resources, Facilities, and Instrumentation

Research at the forefront of science requires modern resources, facilities, and instrumentation. WashU has invested heavily in the research efforts in the Department of Chemistry to ensure students and faculty are able to pursue interdisciplinary research and explore novel directions. Most of the research in chemistry is located in six adjacent buildings on the Danforth Campus of WashU.

Excellent Academics and Training

Students are taught by research-active faculty in the classroom and in the laboratory so that modern concepts with applications in scientific discovery prepare students for careers in science. Most of the research groups in Chemistry are small enough so that faculty are intimately involved with ongoing research and progress of the students.

Collegiate Campus & Suburban Environment

Most of the research of the chemistry students and faculty occurs on the Danforth Campus of WashU, which is located just outside of the city of St. Louis. Although the interiors are of the buildings are state of the art, the exteriors are designed in a gothic style with Missouri red granite facades.

Financial Support

All Chemistry PhD students receive a generous stipend ($36,050 for the '24-25 twelve-month academic year) and a tuition fellowship for the duration of the program. Students also receive a 90% subsidy on health insurance. This support enables students to focus on their studies and scientific discovery without experiencing financial hardship.

Outreach Opportunities

Students participate in outreach initiatives throughout the university and wider community, in particular with programs focusing on women in STEM and high school students interested in chemistry.

Prospective PhD Students

Interested in joining our department? Learn about candidacy requirements, financial assistance, and more. Much of the application process can be accomplished online.

Making the Move

Graduate students rave about St. Louis: it’s affordable, from housing to entertainment and culture. The Zoo, Missouri History Museum and St. Louis Art Museum all boast free admission, and our cost of living is consistently one of the lowest nationally. That means an excellent quality of life, even on a budget. Washington University also supports graduate students in their transition to St. Louis, from housing services to child care.

About St. Louis  

Quadrangle Off-Campus Housing

Student Health Services

Graduate Student Resources

Find commonly used resources here, or search all Department of Chemistry resources. 

Graduate School Forms

admissions, teaching, dissertation & more

PhD Degree Requirements (PDF)

find requirements specific to graduate study in chemistry

Graduate Application

learn how to apply online for the graduate program in chemistry

Graduate Student Docusign

Yearly Forms to Comptete

search more resources

Graduate school links, doctoral dissertation guide, office of graduate studies policies, graduate student groups, office of graduate studies resources, office for international students and scholars.

I still remember the first time when I met my advisor, Bryce Sadtler. He showed me around in lab and talked with me about research. I felt respected and that experience enhanced my motivation to do research. As a member of WashU chemistry department, everyone can befriend and support to each other in such unique community. Bryce and other professors in chemistry help me a lot with my courses and academic issues. Constructive suggestions and inspiring ideas coming from them show the direction to my success.

Have questions? 

To learn more about the graduate program in chemistry, please contact the graduate coordinator, Barbara Taylor.

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Graduate Education

The real cost of grad school in the us, nearly everyone gets funding, but the financial demands of getting a phd can catch some off guard, by wynne parry, special to c&en, november 2, 2021 | a version of this story appeared in volume 99, issue 41.

• What instrumentation skills does industry want new chemists to have?
• Periodic Graphics: The chemistry of slime
• How an alternative grading system is improving student learning
• U.S. team makes history at International Chemistry Olympiad
• Chemistry in Pictures: Blinded by the magnesium

Graduate school has a reputation of being difficult, but when Nyesa Enakaya moved to Washington, DC, to start her PhD in chemistry at Howard University, she found the pressures were more than academic. Nearly all chemistry PhD programs come with a guaranteed income, but for some students, the money goes only so far.

Enakaya started in a stronger position than many. Not only was she debt-free, but she had savings, and with her parents’ help she made a down payment on a condo near her new institution. Together, her monthly mortgage and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees cost less than renting in the area. This arrangement will also make it possible for her to sell when she graduates.

Her 9-month teaching assistant’s salary of $20,000 sounded like a lot at first, even though it’s less than the average chemistry stipend of $26,000. But as her first school year began, it became clear that her monthly paychecks amounted to roughly the same amount as her mortgage, HOA fees, and utility costs. She had little to nothing left over for all the expenses that typically accompany graduate school, such as health insurance, fees charged by the school, and, of course, food, let alone anything unexpected.

“I just saw my bank account draining,” says Enakaya, now in her fifth year at Howard. “I wasn’t making enough money to support myself, and I was losing all of my savings.”

In chemistry and closely related fields, PhD students almost always receive financial support to cover the cost of their tuition and their living expenses. That’s not true of those in chemistry master’s programs or many who pursue degrees in other areas, such as the humanities and medicine, for which funding is much less consistent. Even so, PhD student stipends in chemistry are never lavish.

While many manage just fine, others quickly learn that their stipends cover much less than they expect or need. Routine costs, including taxes and health insurance, add up quickly. A high cost of living, as in a place like the District of Columbia, undergraduate debt, and unforeseen expenses can all contribute to a financial shortfall and the stress and frustration that accompany it.

However, not everyone struggles. Overall, funding appears to meet students’ needs more often than not. In an American Chemical Society survey conducted in 2019, 62% of US graduate students in the chemical sciences said their financial support was adequate, a decrease of roughly 7 percentage points from 2013.

Amrit Venkatesh says the financial package for his chemistry PhD at Iowa State University, which included a stipend that reached $26,600, seemed reasonably well matched to the cost of living in Ames, Iowa. “I would definitely not call it underpaid,” he says.

After he finished his master’s degree in his native India, Venkatesh at first didn’t seriously consider going to the US for a PhD. He wanted to take time to consider his options, and he assumed that programs in the US would be too expensive for him to afford. After deciding to pursue a PhD in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, he began looking for a strong program. In the process, he learned that the school that would become his top pick, Iowa State, offered a stipend that he believed he could live on. “I only applied after I was convinced I could make it work,” he says.

Tips from experts and grad students

Before starting a PhD program

Talk to current or recent grad students

When undergraduates give Sarah Goh, a professor of chemistry at Williams College, lists of programs that interest them, she connects them with Williams alums. “I will say, OK, so email these six people and ask them what the program is like and what their life is like.”

Learn about loans

Payments on many, but not all, student loans can be deferred while you’re in graduate school. Federally subsidized loans are the only ones that won’t accrue interest while you are in a grad program, says Ryan Stuart, a family life and finance educator at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Compared with undergrads, grad students pay higher interest rates and are more likely to encounter lifetime borrowing limits.

Ask yourself whether you can afford to live there

When you are close to selecting a program, draft a detailed budget tailored to your individual needs and the local cost of living, says Emily Roberts, owner of Personal Finance for PhDs. As part of your research, ask current students if the stipend is livable, she says.

Prepare yourself

Before you start your program, Roberts recommends paying down any credit card or other debt and establishing a cash reserve to keep you afloat, in case it takes some time to get your first paycheck. If you anticipate needing additional income and think you’ll have the time, energy, and freedom, she recommends establishing a side job before you start your program.

Talk to fellow grad students

Your colleagues are the “biggest encyclopedia for budgeting finances,” says Katie Johnson, a recent PhD graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno. “The graduate students that have been there for 2, 3, 4 years, they already know how to do it,” she says. Not only do other students know where to find the cheapest rent and phone bill, but they also may become your roommates.

Make a spending plan (aka budget)

“There is literally no way to figure out if you can survive on any amount of income if you don’t have a plan in place,” says Stuart, who finds that people are generally more receptive to the prospect of making a “plan” versus a “budget.” He recommends using PowerPay’s free online planning tools.

Rightsize your housing

Financial experts typically recommend spending no more than 30% of your monthly income on housing. If that share creeps up much higher, “that is a big red warning flag that you need to do the best you absolutely can to downgrade your housing costs,” Roberts says. That can mean getting a roommate or moving, if feasible.

Establish an emergency fund

Whether it’s a car accident or a last-minute trip home, unexpected expenses come up. Stuart recommends that students put aside at least $400 just in case. If you can manage $1,000, all the better; if not, aim to build up to that amount. Once you have a more regular, stable income, try to set aside 3 to 6 months’ worth of expenses, he says.

Start saving now

You may have a hard time imagining retirement right now, but Stuart and others recommend that you start putting something aside for it. Thanks to compounding interest, “even little amounts over longer periods of time are going to be much higher in the long run,” he says.

While US chemistry graduate students can receive funding from a number of sources, for most students, the institution where they study provides a stipend as compensation for teaching or research. To keep students focused, some institutions discourage or even forbid them from taking on outside jobs.

On average, US schools pay $26,814 for doctoral students working as research assistants and $26,082 for their counterparts working as teaching assistants, according to another ACS survey in 2019, this one of chemistry programs. These numbers, however, obscure enormous variation between both programs and students, who sometimes receive funding from additional sources, such as certain fellowships.

In spring 2014, after struggling to find accurate and up-to-date stipend information online, Emily Roberts launched the PhD Stipend Survey , which now has almost 11,000 entries. The results aren’t perfect—a few entries list unbelievably high amounts—but the survey is the closest thing to a clearinghouse for PhD stipends.

Roberts, who holds a PhD in biomedical engineering, cautions that a dollar amount on its own is meaningless. “Without putting that stipend in the context of the local cost of living, you really don’t yet have any idea of whether that stipend can pay even for basic living expenses,” says Roberts, now the owner of Personal Finance for PhDs .

To account for the cost of living, her survey uses data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator for a single person with no dependents to calculate a living-wage ratio. A ratio less than 1 raises “a red flag,” Roberts says.

Housing, in particular, can strangle students’ finances. The high cost of living near the University of California, Santa Cruz, drove graduate students at this institution to strike in December 2019. They demanded a $1,412 per month raise, an increase they calculated would allow students to spend less than 30% of their pretax income on rent, the proportion recommended by financial experts.

On July 1 of this year, Connor Brandenburg, an organic chemistry student at UC San Diego, got a raise that brought his finances nearly in line with this rule. After his department increased students’ stipends from $31,000 to $34,000 per year, his rent—$897 a month for a studio in university-run housing—accounted for about 32% of his pretax income.

But, within a year and a half, this share may grow substantially. In April 2023, he will have exhausted the 2 years of on-campus housing the university allotted him as a graduate student. Off-campus rents for a comparable studio can run up to $1,700, Brandenburg says, so he’s planning to downgrade.

“I’m 24. I don’t necessarily want to share a room with someone anymore, [but] financially, that may be my only option,” he says.

In addition to rent, graduate students face an expense familiar to undergraduates: fees, which some institutions levy separately from tuition. Like so much else, fees can vary considerably between schools.

This fall, the bill for graduate students at the Georgia Institute of Technology amounted to as much as $1,097 for 10 fees , which include money to fund student organizations, transportation services on campus, and a general-purpose “special institutional” fee.

Most of these charges are recommended by the school’s president and set by the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, which includes Georgia Tech. The largest of these fees, the special institutional fee, is an exception. The board instituted it in 2009, at first temporarily, to compensate for state budget cuts. But funding reductions remained in place and so did the fee, growing from $100 to $344 for graduate students.

While Georgia taxpayers may benefit from this shift, the accumulating fees make a difficult situation worse for Krista Bullard, a fifth-year PhD student in chemistry and biochemistry at Georgia Tech. Through a fellowship at the school’s Renewable Bioproducts Institute, Bullard earns $29,000 a year, an amount that she has found doesn’t match the cost of living in Atlanta.

“I have my parents’ car. They pay my car insurance; they pay for my phone,” she says. “I don’t think I could do it on my own.”

Like many other students, she has loans from her undergraduate degree, which add to the financial pressure. The end may be in sight, however, because she plans to graduate in May.

“I’m really pushing for that, mostly because I really can’t afford to stay any longer,” she says.

Fees typically don’t include another common cost: health insurance. Some institutions, including Georgia Tech, require students to purchase plans offered through the school or prove they have comparable coverage. But some programs provide free coverage.

Roughly a year after finishing his PhD, Venkatesh says his financial experience turned out “about the same as what I expected.” That doesn’t mean it was easy. Like many other students, he made the money work through a combination of hard work, self-discipline, and, on occasion, painful trade-offs.

After moving from India, Venkatesh faced a distinct set of financial challenges: he needed to send money back home to his family and, after he got married at the end of his first year, to support his wife, whose visa restrictions severely limited her options for earning income in the US. Tight finances, as well as the demanding work culture of American academia, contributed to the most difficult part of his entire PhD experience: traveling home only twice.

Together, he and his wife carefully managed their money, and Venkatesh figured out a way to supplement his stipend. While at Iowa State, he earned a series of academic honors—fellowships, scholarships, and a prize for research publications—that brought in between $1,000 and $10,000 after each year of his program.

“I have seen graduate students who manage the stipend significantly better than even I did,” he says. “But there were also students who might say the exact opposite, who were really struggling from month to month.”

In contrast, Enakaya’s expectations of living on her stipend evaporated after she started her program at Howard. At first she made do by using her savings and credit cards. She also found work tutoring and teaching, as well as paid summer internships, and her adviser provides her with some additional funding for her research. Her success lining up outside income, however, has come at a cost.

Over the most recent summer, for example, she interned at Brookhaven National Laboratory while teaching biochemistry and a Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) prep course virtually. For 12 weeks, this arrangement kept her away from her research lab at Howard, where she had originally intended to focus her time and energy.

“Going into Howard, I truly didn’t believe that I would have to be taking internships, that I would have to be getting extra jobs,” she says.

The financial prospects for future Howard students may improve, at least to a degree. By 2023, the university plans to increase the 9-month teaching assistant stipend in chemistry and other departments by 20%, to $24,000, according to Dana Williams, dean of Howard’s Graduate School. This decision was based on the cost of living in the DC area, she says in an email.

Others besides teaching assistants may benefit too. Although funded by faculty members’ grants, research assistant stipends match those of teaching assistants and will likely increase too, according to Hua Zhao, the chair of Howard’s Chemistry Department.

The raise would bring Howard’s stipend more in line, although not quite on par, with funding offered to PhD students in chemistry at other DC institutions. Georgetown University and George Washington University both offer full-year support, versus Howard’s 9 months, of more than $35,000.

Looking back, Enakaya says that even if she had fully understood the financial picture, and the prospect of a larger stipend elsewhere, she would not have reconsidered her decision to go to Howard.

“I wanted to go to an HBCU [historically Black college or university]. I want to be surrounded by people that I know support and love me and really want to help me grow not just as a chemist, but as a Black chemist,” she says. “I want to learn from the faculty here, because they’ve had similar stories and similar experiences as me.”

When told her scramble to make the money work sounded stressful, Enakaya says: “Graduate school is stressful. We make it work. We definitely make it work.”

Wynne Parry is a freelance writer based in the greater Philadelphia area. This article is copublished in inChemistry magazine in partnership with ACS Education.

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Finances and Student Support

All Neuroscience students who maintain full-time enrollment and satisfactory progress in the program are supported with a salary and/or stipend/fellowship and their tuition is covered.

Salary/Stipends

GPN students are paid the variable rate RA salary for Biomedical Research Departments, which can be found here: https://grad.uw.edu/graduate-student-funding/funding-information-for-departments/administering-assistantships/ta-ra-salaries/ .

Applicants are encouraged to apply for National Science Foundation or other individual fellowships. Most Neuroscience students also qualify for a variety of  NIH institutional training grants  awarded to the University of Washington.

Tuition Waivers

The tuition waivers include basic tuition (operating & tech fees) for graduate students. Students who are not residents of Washington State also receive waivers for the non-resident tuition portion, but are highly encouraged to establish residency after their first year. Students are usually only responsible for the student activity fees and the UPASS.

Health (medical/dental/vision) insurance is available to eligible students at no cost, and to their families at a modest cost. Details on the Graduate Appointee Insurance Plan are available via the UW Human Resources website ( http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/insure/gaip/contacts.html ).

NSF Graduate Fellowships

An unusual feature of NSF Graduate Fellowships is that students may apply for fellowships even before they have been accepted into a graduate program. We encourage students applying to our program to apply for an NSF fellowship. Applying for and receiving such a fellowship is not essential, because our Program guarantees full tuition and stipend support for all entering students. However, having applied for an NSF fellowship may be seen as a favorable indication of the student’s strong motivation.

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Phd program, phd fellowships and financial support, financial support.

Our School ensures that all students have some means of financial support during the 9-month school year for the first four years in the program and is frequently able to continue support beyond this point. In each of the first four years, the PhD program director assists students in obtaining funding from the School, other University of Washington sources, or external federal and private granting agencies. The guaranteed four years of support is in the form of grants, fellowships, or research and/or teaching assistantships. Some entering students have obtained funding from external sources, and these are considered to fulfill the obligation. These appointments typically require a 20-hour-per-week commitment and include a tuition waiver (state residents or non-residents) and health benefits for the Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters of each year (9 months).  Because the PhD program is a full-time program for the first four years, students are not generally permitted to accept university employment or other funding support that puts their FTE at greater than 50 percent during the 9-month academic year.

Each year, awards of stipends, fellowships, and research and teaching assistantships are made on the basis of resources available, match with areas of student interest, skills. An award of a particular stipend or assistantship in one academic year does not carry a commitment for that same award in another year because both the grant situation and the applicant pool will change. Advanced teaching and research positions are available on a competitive basis. Students are encouraged to begin their efforts to secure dissertation research support early and to stay in communication with the PhD program director and the associate deans, who oversee assistantship assignments in consultation with the School administration.

Students with graduate student service appointments (TA, RA, Staff Assistant, Trainee and Fellow), which provide salary, tuition waivers and health benefits, must be registered for at least 10 credits each quarter during the academic year; these assistantships carry a work requirement of 20 hours a week. Appointments are contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and satisfactory performance of duties contracted for each appointment. Students on probation are not eligible for new GSSA appointments. Most GSSA appointments are represented by UAW Local 4121 , which can be contaced by email at [email protected] .

Annual Awards and Fellowships

Boeing endowed fellowship.

From School of Social Work special funds. This endowment provides fellowships to graduate students who are economically disadvantaged, with a preference given to minority students.  The purpose is to support students with a commitment to research focused on providing effective services to diverse populations.

J. Scott Briar Endowed Fund

From School of Social Work special funds. In 1974, Dr. J. Scott Briar established the School of Social Work’s doctoral program. His emphasis on quality research education in the School’s doctoral and master's programs, and his leadership on the integration of practice research in the preparation of social work practitioners brought a distinctive identity and national stature to the School. The J. Scott Briar Endowed Fund acknowledges Dr. Briar’s long-standing commitment to and support for graduate students’ learning and professional development. The fund provides support to doctoral students for tuition, research, or living expenses.

Naomi Gottlieb Endowed Fellowship Fund

From School of Social Work special funds. This endowment provides fellowships to doctoral students. It was established in memory of Naomi Gottlieb, a faculty member who influenced hundreds of students through active mentoring, gentle advocacy, and constant support of their learning and professional development. This fund is in recognition of her profound commitment to students, particularly those of disadvantaged background.

Doctoral Excellence Fund

This discretionary fund supports the general activities of the PhD Program, which includes support for conference and training travel, special events, and dissertation research-related expenses.

Nancy R. Hooyman Intergenerational Fellowship for Intergenerational Studies

From School of Social Work special funds. This endowment provides financial assistance to graduate students in the School of Social Work pursuing the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to incorporate intergenerational components into their work.

Magnuson Fellowship

From School of Social Work special funds. Each year the six University of Washington Health Sciences Schools nominate a student for selection as a Magnuson Scholar for the coming academic year.  Selection criteria are academic  performance and the student's potential for contribution to research in the health sciences. This is a full year fellowship with the amount varying annually.

University Graduate School Fellowships

For most of these awards, the department is responsible for the actual application process.

Graduate Opportunity Research Assistantships

Nine-month research assistantships for entering students who show high academic promise and who are pursuing graduate degrees in areas where they are severely underrepresented.

Bank of America and Presidential Endowed Minority Fellowships

These competitive fellowships, for which all departments of the University are eligible, are intended to increase the number of doctorates granted to students of diverse backgrounds who will contribute to the level of diversity within their discipline or the graduate community at large. The fellowship provides 2 years of 9 months per year support at a financial level equivalent to a student assistantship with tuition waiver. It covers the first and last years in a program, and the School of Social Work commits to providing assistantships for intervening years.

Ronald E. McNair Fellowship

Two-year, merit-based fellowships carrying an annual stipend of approximately $16,500 plus tuition and fees for students pursuing doctoral degrees. Covers the first and last (dissertation) year, to be matched with 3 years of support at the same or a higher level by the student's department. Limited to students who have successfully completed a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program. Students enrolled in terminal master's programs are ineligible for this fellowship.

Stroum Minority Fellowship

As with the Bank of America Fellowship, this award supports students who will increase the diversity of students in a program.  It is a 1-year fellowship (9 months of support) that can be either a first year recruitment award or a final-year dissertation award.

Huckabay Teaching Fellowships

This Graduate School fellowship program provides support for 1 quarter at the TA level. The fellowship provides graduate students an opportunity to develop and work on a specific project focused on teaching and learning at the university level.  Projects are proposed by students with teaching mentors either from the UW or nearby community colleges or other colleges.

Gatzert  Child Welfare Fellowship

Fellowships to support doctoral dissertation research in the field of child development with special reference to the physically or mentally disabled.

Graduate School Dissertation Fellowships

The Graduate School has several dissertation fellowships that are awarded competitively on an annual basis and typically cover 1 quarter of effort.

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Prizes for Best PhD Thesis 2023

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce the following prizes for outstanding work by graduate students. These awards, announced each spring, recognize doctoral research and carry a $1,000 prize. The awards were established in Academic Year 2021-22 and are funded by endowments made possible through the philanthropic support of faculty, friends, and alumni.

George H. Cady Prize for Best Thesis in Inorganic Chemistry

Ben Mitchell earned his Ph.D. in 2023 for his work with Assistant Professor Alexandra Velian on “Leveraging Molecular Nanoclusters for Atomistic Insights Into Reactive Interfaces.” He is now a Science, Technology, and Policy Fellow of the Building Technologies Office in the Department of Energy. As a fellow, Ben works on advancing a range of innovative technologies and solutions to decarbonize commercial building infrastructure. Ben is based in Washington, DC.

Gary and Sue Christian Prize for Best Thesis in Analytical Chemistry

Caitlin Cain will earn her Ph.D. in 2024 for her work with Professor Robert Synovec on “Advances in the Chemometric Analysis of Multiway Chromatographic Data to Improve Discovery and Identification.” In summer 2024, she will begin a postdoctoral research position with Professor Robert Kennedy at the University of Michigan, where she will probe our understanding of the brain metabolome with use of capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemometric data analysis methods.

B. Seymore Rabinovitch Prize for Best Thesis in Physical Chemistry

Kristina Herman will earn her Ph.D. in 2024 for her work with Affiliate Professor Sotiris Xantheas titled “Extension of the Many-Body Expansion (MBE) to Periodic Systems: Developing Tools to Analyze and Improve Models of Intermolecular Interactions.” Kristina has accepted a position as a postdoctoral scholar with Prof. Greg Voth's group at the University of Chicago where she will develop multiscale computational models of the HIV life cycle.

Congratulations, Ben, Caitlin, and Kristina!

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The University of Michigan PhD program offers cutting edge research in a collaborative environment.

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BRET Career Development ASPIRE Program

National science foundation – graduate research fellowships (nsf-grf).

Posted by hagansa2 on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Announcements .

Application: Applications are due at 5:00 p.m. local time, as determined by the applicant’s mailing address.

• October 16, 2024: Life Sciences.
• October 17, 2024: Computer, Information Sciences, and Engineering; Materials Research; Psychology; Social Sciences; STEM Education and Learning.
• October 19, 2024: Engineering.
• October 20, 2024: Chemistry; Geosciences; Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy.

URL:  Home – NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP) (nsfgrfp.org)

Description:

The NSF-GRF is one of the nation’s premier fellowships for graduate students. Fellowships support students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the sciences, engineering, and social sciences. The three-year fellowship provides a stipend, a cost-of-education allowance, international research opportunities, internships with federal agencies, and access to supercomputing facilities.

Eligible fields of study:  Chemistry, Computer & Information Science & Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Psychology (except clinical/counseling), Social Sciences, and STEM Education & Learning Research. See the full list of eligible fields in the Appendix of the  Program Solicitation .

Ineligible fields of study:  Joint professional degree-science programs (MD/PhD, JD/PhD, etc.), medical, dental, law, and public health programs, practice-oriented professional degree programs (MBA, MPH, MSW, JD, MD, DDS, etc.), and clinical study, including patient-oriented research or epidemiological and medical behavioral studies, outcomes research and health services research. Graduate study focused on community and other population-based medical intervention trials are also ineligible. However, research projects in bioengineering to aid persons with disabilities or to diagnose or treat human disease are eligible, provided they apply engineering principles to problems in medicine while primarily advancing engineering knowledge. See the GRF  Program Solicitation  for complete details on eligible and ineligible fields.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents.
• Applicants must intend to enroll or be enrolled full-time in a US research-based master’s or doctoral degree program in an eligible field of study in STEM or STEM education.
• an undergraduate senior
• a college graduate preparing to enter graduate school
• a 1st-year graduate student
• a 2nd-year graduate student
• NOTE:  Graduate students are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted either in the first year  OR  the second year of graduate school.
• Applicants must never have earned a doctoral or terminal degree in any field.
• Applicants must not have completed more than one academic year of graduate study as indicated in the academic transcript issued by the Registrar of the universities attended, as of the application deadline. Participation in pre-graduate summer activities PRIOR TO graduate status as indicated in the academic transcript issued by the Registrar before the start of the fall graduate program is not included in this total. Graduate status is understood to begin on the date indicated on the Registrar-issued transcript and ALL activities after that date will be considered graduate activities. Graduate coursework taken without being enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program is not counted in this limit.
• Individuals holding joint Bachelor’s-Master’s degrees who  did not  progress directly to a doctoral program the semester following award of the joint degree must apply as returning graduate students (see below);
• not enrolled in a graduate degree program at application deadline, AND
• two or more consecutive years past graduate degree enrollment or completion at the application deadline.

Award Disbursement:

• The GRF provides three years of funding, which can be distributed over five years. During a funded year, a Fellow is designated as “active.”  During a non-funded year, the Fellow is designated as “on reserve.” Fellows can choose which three years during the five to be “active.”
• GRFs cannot be concurrently accepted or combined with another US government fellowship, irrespective of Fellow’s GRF funding status (i.e., “on reserve” or “active”).

Award Amount:

• $37,000 stipend during each of the three “active” years.
• $16,000 cost-of-education allowance during each of the “active” years.

Application Materials:

• Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement (3 pages).
• Graduate Research Plan Statement (2 pages).
• Transcripts.
• Three letters of reference.

Evaluation Criteria:

Applications will be evaluated according to NSF’s two evaluation criteria:  Intellectual Merit  and  Broader Impacts . Applicants should familiarize themselves thoroughly with these two criteria. To do this, read the  Program Solicitation  and the Helpful Resources listed below and talk with your advisor and other letter writers. Your essays should address BOTH criteria explicitly.

If this information is out of date, please email [email protected] to let us know.

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