Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program-New England

Awarded By:

Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Ten awards offered annually.

Description: This award is available for U.S. graduate students who are attending an accredited institution in New England. Students must have completed either one semester of coursework at the master's level or three years of doctoral coursework and must be pursuing a career related to the environment.

Application requirements for the Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program-New England are:

• Application form
• Essay
• Official Transcript
• Recommendation letters (2)

Additional Information: Switzer Fellowship candidates must demonstrate the following: commitment to aggressively pursue and implement effective solutions to improve the quality of the natural environment; maximum potential for producing an early impact on environmental quality; strong leadership, communication and critical thinking skills; relevant work or volunteer experience in an environmental field; breadth of skill, creativity and flexibility to effectively bridge the public, private and academic arenas; and scientific or technical background. Master's degree candidates must have completed one semester of coursework or more to apply and be seeking the master's as a terminal degree. Master's degree students planning to pursue a Ph.D. are advised to wait until they are in their Ph.D. programs to apply. Applicants enrolled in one-year master's degree programs may apply prior to enrollment, but must be formally accepted into their program to be eligible for a fellowship interview. Interviews take place in May. Applicants at the Ph.D. level must plan to have completed three years of doctoral work by July 1, 2019, or must plan to have passed their qualifying exams by May 1, 2019, in order to be eligible to apply. Nominations are no longer required. Switzer Fellows are required to submit two written reports. The first must be received by January and the final report by June. Guidelines and requirements for these reports will be provided in advance of each due date. Applications are reviewed by a team of environmental professionals, colleagues and staff. Those students whose applications reflect the greatest career potential for improving the quality of the environment will be invited for an interview.

Award Amount: $15,000 annually, non-renewable. Grants are paid in two equal installments, the first in June and the second in late January. The second grant payment will be released upon receipt of a satisfactory interim report.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $15,000.