Costs & Financial Aid
FER Home : Graduate Students : Costs & Financial Aid
Graduate students in FER programs can sometimes defray the cost of their education by taking advantage of assistantship and other financial aid programs and by establishing residency in North Carolina. In addition, there are partial teaching assistantships available as well as hourly pay for research or other university employment options.
Research Assistantships
FER typically offers a number of assistantships to graduate students each year. Fellowships and research assistantships pay tuition, health insurance and a stipend. Awards are based primarily on merit, although a student's background and research interests are also considered for targeted research awards. In general, students who receive research assistantships have exceptionally high GRE scores (75th percentile and above) on the verbal, quantitative and analytical writing sections, as well as GPA's of at least 3.5 on a 4 point scale. They also offer outstanding letters of recommendations from qualified associates and present a well-written statement of purpose.
A majority of the assistantships are funded through competitive grants and contracts awarded to individual professors to conduct specific research projects — that is, they are usually granted to graduate students pursuing research-intensive thesis degrees such as the Master of Science or PhD. Occasionally, funding may also be granted to students seeking non-thesis Masters degrees.
The Department's basic stipend rate for an assistantship is currently $14,500 per year at the Masters level and $16,500 per year for PhD students. An assistantship requires a half-time commitment over twelve months to work on a research project. Often, the project forms the basis of the thesis or dissertation.
International students may apply for assistantships, but support generally comes from home country sources or an international development agency. See Admitting International Students in the Graduate School Handbook for more information.
Applying for A Research Assistantship
Applying for an assistantship is simple: just check the boxes at the top of the standard admissions form to request consideration for financial assistance. The documents submitted with the application are adequate for assessing merit. FER will process applications up to the deadlines stated in the Graduate School instructions. However, assistantships are typically awarded earlier. This means completing your application by January 31 for admission in the fall semester and September 30 for admission in the spring semester.
If you are seeking funding from individual faculty members or research programs within FER, similar criteria for admission and funding are generally applied. Contacting the appropriate FER Faculty member to discuss assistantship opportunities is recommended.
On-Going Assistantship Opportunities
The following Research Assistantships are typically awarded to graduate students in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences. As new opportunities become available, this page will be updated :
Departmental Research Assistantships: Each fall, we typically offer 2-6 Research Assistantships to incoming graduate students. However, these are not likely to be offered for the 2009-2010 school year. These provide two years of funding to masters students and three years of funding to PhD students. Students receiving departmental RAs are free to choose any advisor in the department. These are merit-based and available to all U.S. and international applicants in any curriculum. All applicants requesting financial aid will be considered for these assistantships.
Hofmann Forest Graduate Scholarships: awarded each year to up to four doctoral students studying in the various disciplines of forestry. However, these are not likely to be offered for the 2009-2010 school year. In general, Hofmann Scholars receive a stipend of $17,000 per year plus tuition, student fees and health insurance. In addition, up to $1,000 per year per Fellow is available for professional development (i.e., meetings, workshops, travel, research expenses, etc.). All students applying for admission to the PhD program in Forestry will be considered for a Hofmann Scholarship. Hofmann Scholars are expected to serve as a teaching assistant once each year, and are compensated an additional $2,000. All Hofmann Scholars also will need to earn a Graduate Research Certificate.
Gunnar and Lilian Nicholson Graduate Fellowships: awarded to Swedish graduate foresters studying forest genetics and forest management at N.C. State. Successful applicants receive funding for a period of five years to earn a Ph.D. degree. This award includes an $24,000 annual stipend plus all tuition, student fees, and health insurance. Students are also granted one round-trip airfare per year for travel to Sweden for purposes of promoting the Nicholson exchange program. For more information, contact Erin_Sills@ncsu.edu.
Camcore Stipends: Camcore offers occasional partial stipends for graduate studies at NC State. Students representing Camcore companies are given first priority in receiving these stipends to conduct research internationally, but occasionally stipends are made available to individuals not associated with the Cooperative. Graduate studies with Camcore emphasize improving our knowledge about tropical and subtropical forest species.
Christmas Tree Genetics Awards: Occasional assistantships (MS or PhD) are available to work with Christmas tree breeding, propagation or pest resistance through the Christmas Tree Genetics Program.
Forest Nutrition Cooperative Assistantships: for outstanding individuals pursuing an MS or PhD degree with the Forest Nutrition Cooperative, one of the world's leading forest research and education programs. Awards are typically available in specific areas of research.
Tree Improvement Assistantships: available to MS or PhD degree candidates working with the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program in various areas of research, including genetic variation studies; modeling and development of breeding strategies; testing and selection; seed orchard management; and the use of clonal propagation in breeding and forest plantation establishment.
Research-Specific Opportunities
Research Assistantships are often awarded to graduate students in FER interested in working on specific current research projects. For questions about specific research opportunities and available funding, please contact FER Faculty members about their individual projects.
The Atlantis Program - Transatlantic Masters Program in Forest Resources: study in Finland and Sweden, receive a master’s degree in Forestry or Natural Resources from NCSU AND a masters degree from one of two European universities. Approximately 4-5 accepted students each year will spend one year in Europe taking classes (in English) and conducting research. Students will also spend one year at NCSU and attend joint conferences and seminars. The project will provide $12,000 to offset the costs of the international travel and living expenses. These funds would be in addition to any graduate assistantship that the student may already have. Only US citizens and green card holders are eligible to apply. For more information, see this link and contact Bronson Bullock (bronson_bullock@ncsu.edu).
Plant Systems Biology: Two positions available. One position will emphasize plant transformation/functional genomics/biochemistry using transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. The other will emphasize quantitative genetics/statistics/bioinformatics using multivariate models, data mining and programming (SAS, Matlab, R). Both graduate students will conduct plant transformation in the initial phase of the project to generate specific plants essential for the project. The candidates will be trained in a systems approach to develop a rigorous understanding of the genetics and metabolic networks in the subject areas of the project. For more information, please see details here.
Biological Modeling: Two positions. First position (student will reside in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering): cross disciplinary PhD position in computational biology, metabolic engineering, biology, and genetics. This project will focus on modeling (i.e., bioreaction network analysis, flux balance analysis, simulating systems of ODEs) and integration of specific systems data generated by collaborators working in areas of molecular genetics, genomics, proteomics, biochemistry and chemistry. For more information, please see details here. Second position (student will reside in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering): cross disciplinary PhD position in computational systems biology, machine learning, statistical analysis, metabolic engineering, biology and genetics. This project will focus on modeling and the integration of systems data from collaborators working in areas of genomics, proteomics, and chemistry. For more information, please see details here.
Wildlife and Biomass Harvesting: A PhD research assistantship in Fisheries and Wildlife is available starting August 2010 to study the influence of harvesting woody biomass on small mammals and herpetofauna. The student will monitor small mammal, amphibian, and reptile response following biomass harvests in clearcut sites with and without implementation of harvest guidelines meant to promote habitat sustainability (e.g., residual woody debris retained in piles or dispersed or limited woody material retained). The study is a component of a larger project to develop woody biomass harvesting guidelines that can be practically implemented to mitigate impacts on wildlife habitat and other environmental parameters. Applicants should have a MS in wildlife biology, zoology, conservation biology, or other related field, at least a 3.0 GPA, and a minimum combined math/verbal GRE score of 1000. Preference will be given to applicants with an interest in the relationships between forest management and wildlife conservation and experience with small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Interested individuals should send a cover letter outlining experience and research interests, curriculum vitae, unofficial copies of university transcripts and GRE scores, and contact information for three references to Chris_Moorman@ncsu.edu by March 1, 2010 (applications reviewed as they arrive).
Wildlife Responses to Prescribed Fire: Five research assistantships to study influence of growing-season prescribed fire. These studies are part of a larger research project to investigate wildlife response to growing-season prescribed fire on Fort Bragg Army Base in the Sandhills region of North Carolina.
Applicants should have a B.S. (M.S. for doctoral applicants) in wildlife biology, zoology, conservation biology, or other related field, at least a 3.0 GPA, and a minimum combined math/verbal GRE score of 1000. Preference will be given to applicants with expertise working with the specific species mentioned below. Interested individuals should send a cover letter outlining experience and research interests, curriculum vitae, unofficial copies of university transcripts and GRE scores, and contact information for three references. Stipend levels are $16,000 for MS students and $18,000 for PhD students, plus tuition and health insurance.
Application Deadline: 1 March 2010; applications will be evaluated as they arrive
Contact: Dr. Chris Moorman
Box 7646
Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695
Email: chris_moorman@ncsu.edu
Phone: (919) 515-5578
MS Assistantship – Fox Squirrels and Fire: To study the influence of growing-season prescribed fire on fox squirrel and small mammal habitat selection.
MS Assistantship – Coyote Ecology: To study coyote movement, home range, habitats searched during the fawning and non-fawning periods, survival, causes of mortality, and diet composition.
PhD Assistantship – White-tailed Deer: To study the influence of growing-season prescribed fire on adult female white-tailed deer habitat use, forage availability, and diet composition.
PhD Assistantship – Northern Bobwhite: To study influence of growing-season prescribed fire on northern bobwhite habitat use and nest success.
PhD Assistantship – Wild Turkey: To study influence of growing-season prescribed fire on wild turkey habitat use, nest site selection, nest survival, and re-nesting behavior.
The Graduate Student Support Plan
Full-time graduate students appointed to an assistantship of at least $8,000 per year are also placed into the Graduate Student Support Plan. This means that all tuition and health insurance premiums are paid on behalf of the student (out-of-state tuition is paid only for the first year of study for those students eligible to apply for NC residency: please see below for details).
Additional financial aid for graduate students in FER may be available through University Financial Aid, which can help fill in the gaps between educational expenses and available assets.
Tuition and Fees
The amount that graduate students pay for tuition and fees depends on course load and residency status. These rates are subject to increase each year by the state legislature and current rates are found at the University Cashiers website.
Obtaining NC Residency
NC State is a public land grant institution that receives money each year from the State of North Carolina. In return for this support, the University is required to provide affordable education for NC residents and to maintain extension and other outreach programs that benefit the people and communities of North Carolina.
Our structure means that there is a significant difference in the tuition required of residents vs. non-residents. While you do not have to be a resident of North Carolina to apply to FER’s graduate programs, there is a strong financial incentive to establishing state residency.
In general, in-state tuition is granted 12 months after moving to NC, if residency is granted. This is important not only for students paying their tuition on their own, but also because graduate students receiving assistantships greater than $8,000 per year who are eligible to become North Carolina residents will only receive assistance based on out-of-state tuition rates for the first year of their programs. If these students do not obtain residency in North Carolina, they must pay the out-of-state portion of their tuition on their own after the first year.
For these reasons, all eligible students are encouraged to become residents of North Carolina as soon possible, following these procedures:
- All United States citizens and resident aliens who have lived in the state for at least 12 months are eligible to become residents of North Carolina.
- You must prove that you have lived in the state for at least one year prior to obtaining NC residency — meaning it is important that you begin documenting your residency here shortly after you arrive.
For more information, please visit The Graduate School website and review how to establish North Carolina residency.
