Fellowships & Scholarships

graduate

 


Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships/Fellowships for Geology and Geophysics Majors

The Department of Geosciences - through various Scholarship Endowment Funds, the University of Houston Geology Alumni Association, the College of Natural Science and Mathematics Alumni Association, The Robert and Margaret Sheriff SEG Fellowship Endowment, the Houston Geological Society and other sponsoring corporations and organizations - nominates or awards through its Scholarship and Awards Committee or its Graduate Admission Committee many scholarships and fellowships for well-qualified Geology, Geophysics and Atmospheric undergraduate and graduate majors enrolled full time at the University of Houston.

Most of the internal awards are generally made each spring at the annual awards ceremony (last Friday in April) for the subsequent academic year or summer session. Certain scholarships are renewable on a yearly basis (e.g., the John C. Butler Presidential Award) dependent on outstanding scholarship and academic progress toward a degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences during the initial award period. Both incoming freshmen and continuing undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply by filling out the Department of Geosciences Scholarship Application Form or applying to the SEG awards designated for the University of Houston (e.g., Sheriff Fellowship). An HGS scholarship committee based on nominations by the faculty decides other awards by the Houston Geological Society.

The University of Houston scholarship application formPDF is available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. A copy may also be requested by contacting the departmental academic advising assistant Sylvia Marshall.

The Departmental Awards and Scholarship committee (4 - 5 tenure track faculty) appointed each year by the Chair of the Department will review scholarship applications of majors in the Department for scholarships and awards dispensed each spring for the following academic year. Scholarship applications are ranked by the committee and deserving students based on academic performance and sometimes other criteria such as financial need or specific requirements listed by the sponsor (e.g. U.S. Citizenship, foreign citizenship, graduate or undergraduate status, major in Geology, Geophysics, Atmospheric Sciences, or freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior, M.S. or Ph.D. status, etc.). Each industrial or philanthropic organization sponsor may have different criteria from year to year and these may change yearly dependent on the sponsor's objectives for that year. The scholarship committee works to assign the internal scholarships in its control based on the sponsor's directives (e.g., academic performance, financial need, major, graduate or undergraduate status, etc.). In some cases outside sponsors work through their own scholarship committees to make awards, but ask for departmental nominations from the scholarship committee. The alumni association (UHGAA) also works closely with the Chair and Scholarship committee in making awards to support field camp scholarships. The scholarship committee attempts to balance and distribute the number of awards among well-qualified students based on the specific criteria for the award or scholarship so that the broadest number of students attains support. From time to time, exceptionally well-qualified students may receive multiple awards at the discretion of the committee based on their academic excellence. College awards are made through a separate Alumni committee.

Students with a minimum GPA of 2.5 who will be enrolled full time as a declared major in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences during the academic year are eligible to apply for Departmental scholarships during the spring semester. The deadline for application is April 1 of each year. Some awards, however, will have specific GPA requirements (generally 3.0 or higher), undergraduate or graduated status, financial need, and U.S. citizenship eligibility requirements. In addition, some awards may not be accompanied by scholarships (e.g. Furbunch Award for outstanding Field work). Graduate fellowship assistance in the form of scholarships provided by external sponsors is typically awarded during the admission process based on academic ranking, GRE and TOEFl scores, and prior undergraduate records and preparedness for graduate studies. These scholarships are often matched for exceptionally well qualified students by the Dean of Graduate studies with Presidential Scholarships on a 1:1 or 2:1 basis. The Graduate Committee, which consists of the Chair of the Department and graduate advisors for Geology, Geophysics, and Atmospheric Sciences will recommend these supplemental scholarships for those students who rank the highest in the selection process during the admission of new graduates students.

The number of fellowships and scholarship awards and award conditions will vary from year to year depending on yearly sponsorships, although endowment awards are typically awarded each year based on the same criteria if there are qualified applicants. SEG and HGS awards require application directly to the Society (see above) and HGS awards require faculty nominations.

Several awards for outstanding research talks and posters are granted each year during Student Research Day in April and the Sheriff Lecture in November. The grants awarded are in the form of travel grants to national meetings. Students must be attending these meetings to provide talks or posters to a national or international audience. Each function where talks and posters are presented will have faculty and alumni judges whom review and rank talks and posters in choosing the most outstanding presentations for the awards.

Some of the Scholarships and Awards Provided (Contingent on Sponsors Support in Any Given Year):
(U = Undergraduate Scholarships, G = Graduate Scholarships, GF = Graduate Fellowships)

  1. Avery Clifford and Loise B. Dodds Scholarships (U - Geology and Geophysics)
  2. Milton B. Dobrin Memorial Scholarship For the Outstanding Geophysics Graduate Student (G-Geophysics)
  3. The Robert and Margaret Sheriff SEG Fellowship Endowment (GF - for first year foreign students in geophysics -Awarded by SEG to a UH student)
  4. University of Houston Geoscience Alumni Association Samuel Penn Memorial Scholarships (U - Geology and Geophysics) (link -under construction)
  5. University of Houston Geology Alumni Association Samuel Dalton Null Memorial Scholarships (U - Geology and Geophysics)
  6. Ernest J. Murdock Scholarships -Awarded to a UH undergraduate in geology or geophysics intending to enroll in a UH Geology or Geophysics graduate program (G - Geology and Geophysics)
  7. Houston Geological Society Undergraduate Scholarships (U - Geology)
  8. Houston Geological Society Outstanding Student Award (G - Geology)
  9. Shell Scholarships (U, G - Geology and Geophysics)
  10. Marathon Scholarships (U, G - Geology and Geophysics)
  11. BP Scholarships (U, G - Geology and Geophysics)
  12. BP Graduate Fellowship (U, G - Geology and Geophysics)
  13. Chevron Scholarships (U, G, - Geology and Geophysics)
  14. Halliburton Scholarships (U, G, - Geology and Geophysics)
  15. ExxonMobil Scholarships (U, G - Geology and Geophysics)
  16. Phillips Petroleum Scholarship (U, G - Geology and Geophysics)
  17. Allan Wong Endowed Scholarship (U - Geophysics)
  18. John C. Butler Presidential Endowed Scholarship for outstanding incoming undergraduate who declares geology or geophysics as their major (4 year award). (U - Geology and Geophysics)
  19. Furbunch Award - Outstanding Field Work in Field Methods Course
  20. Field Award for Outstanding Field Work in Research
  21. Outstanding Teaching Assistant
  22. Outstanding Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Freshmen
  23. Outstanding Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Sophomore
  24. Outstanding Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Junior
  25. Outstanding Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Senior

Avery Clifford and Loise B. Dodds Scholarships

The Endowment was established through a generous donation of Dodds Family in 1998. Avery Clifford Dodds was a graduate of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Houston in 1952. As part of the endowment, the Department of Geosciences at the University of Houston awards several Avery Clifford and Loise B. Dodds Scholarships of $500 to $2000 yearly. Scholarship recipients are named the Avery Clifford and Loise B. Dodds Scholars. The recipient(s) of the scholarship will be determined by the Department of Geosciences Scholarship Selection Committee. The following conditions will be considered in awarding scholarships:

  1. Scholarship applicants should demonstrate financial need.
  2. Scholarship applicants must be a resident of Texas.
  3. Scholarship applicants must be a certified junior or senior, full-time degree seeking student at the University of Houston.
  4. Recipients must enroll for a minimum of 12 (twelve) hours each semester of award.
  5. Scholarship applicants must maintain a GPA of 2.5 or better.
  6. Current scholarship recipients may reapply. Scholarship recipient may accept other scholarships and grants in conjunction with the Avery Clifford and Loise B. Dodds Scholarship.
  7. Funds can be used to cover expenses for tuition, books, fees, and/or supplies for the coming academic semester. Any expenses of a recipient in excess of the amount deposited must be borne by the student.
  8. Priority can be given to descendants of the Dodds families.