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Funding Opportunities

Most graduate students at Penn State receive some form of financial aid, such as an assistantship, grant-in-aid, fellowship, or scholarship. Assistantships range from quarter-time to three-quarter-time, with half-time being the most common. Students with quarter-time assistantships normally schedule 9 to 14 credits per semester, receive a stipend plus a grant-in-aid of resident education tuition, and perform tasks that occupy about 10 hours per week. Students with half-time assistantships normally schedule 8 to 11 credits per semester, receive a stipend plus a grant-in-aid of resident education tuition, and perform tasks that occupy about 20 hours per week. Students with three-quarter-time assistantships normally schedule 6 to 8 credits per semester, receive a stipend plus a grant-in-aid of resident education tuition, and perform tasks that occupy about 30 hours per week.

The most common type of financial support in our program is a half-time assistantship. The student normally schedules 9 to 12 credits per semester, receives a stipend plus a grant-in-aid for tuition, and is assigned tasks that, on the average, require approximately 20 hours per week. These assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis.

  • The current annual stipend for the 2008/2009 academic year is approximately $14,625 for M.S. students and $15,705 for Ph.D. students.
  • In addition to the 10 months of support, the Department of Food Science will offer M.S. students $2,925 ($3,141 for Ph.D.) in wages during the summer months along with a tuition grant-in-aid (approximate value of over $24,000 per year depending on residency classification), bringing the 12-month total of an M.S. assistantship offer to over $41,000 and over $42,800 for a Ph.D. assistantship.
  • Applicants are also encouraged to seek scholarships from organizations such as the Institute of Food Technologists. These scholarships vary in amount and are based on academic achievements.
  • Some students support their graduate studies by working for faculty members on an hourly basis. The hours and amount vary depending on the agreement established between student and professor.

In addition to assistantships, several other awards are available on a competitive basis. Below is a list of graduate scholarships offered through the department. Announcements seeking applications will be made at appropriate times to all students and faculty.

  • John H. Hetrick Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Food Science
  • William B. Rosskam II Memorial Scholarship in Food Science 
  • Fred and Florence Jacobson Food Science Graduate Scholarship 
  • The Star Kay White Scholarship in Food Science 
  • Frank S. and Nina Cobb Grant-in-Aid 
  • Robert D. and Jeanne L. McCarthy Memorial Graduate Scholarship 
  • PA Poultry Federation Scholarship

You can also check out the scholarships offered by the Institute of Food Technologists.

External Funding Sources: paid international and Washington, D.C., internships with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

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