funding opportunities

Gaann Fellowship

The PhD in Nursing program has received the GAANN Fellowship through funding from the US Department of Education. This Fellowship will provide education and research training to five nurse scholars at the PhD level, with a particular focus on individuals from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in nursing, including men and minorities. The GAANN Fellowship of the CNHS at UMB will prepare nurses who can fill faculty roles and who will be prepared to teach and mentor students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Graduate Assistantships

PhD students receiving financial support serve as research or teaching assistants. Their assignments call for a commitment of 5 to 20 hours per week, depending on the percentage of an assistantship held.  For this service, students receive a 100% tuition waiver, an Educational Operations fee waiver pro-rated according to the percentage of assistantship held, and an annual stipend pro-rated according to the percentage of assistantship held, with full-time assistants receiving a minimum of $12,600.  Students have an opportunity to discuss their specific interests in teaching or research assistantships prior to their appointment by the Director. Satisfactory completion of teaching or research assistant responsibilities is required for support to continue each subsequent semester for up to two full years.

Students may wish to consult with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research or a Financial Aid Office regarding their eligibility for further need-based assistance.

Other Funding Opportunities

Federal advanced nursing traineeship monies are available for eligible students.  Apply for the Professional Nurse Traineeship Grant.

PhD students are also encouraged to work as Research Assistants on funded faculty research grants. Doctoral students can work on the policy piece of research and faculty could do their research in the area they are focused (students would benefit from getting information for their dissertations). Students, who work with faculty as Research Assistants, report that these experiences greatly facilitated their understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of research.

There are number of programs that are available for graduate students, offered through the UMass Boston Graduate Student Assembly (GSA), that provide an opportunity for PhD students to enrich their academic experience and to attend meetings related to their field of study. Go to the website for listing of their financial resources and grants.

Students are enouraged to explore funding opportunities offered by federal, state and private foundations. Faculty and staff support is available to students for developing grant proposals.