MSDP Financial Aid

In general, students in the Master’s Sustainable Development Program self-fund their studies. The US Department of Education website describes types of student aid including loans, such as Perkins Loans, and grants, such as Pell Grants.

Broadly, the types of financial aid available to graduate students include fellowship, loans, teaching assistantship (TA), and research assistantship (RA) positions. Because the Masters Sustainable Development program is an intensive, coursework-based MS, students do not have time to carry out RA and TA assignments. Similarly, research fellowships are unlikely to be awarded to MSDP students because of the intensive coursework requirements of the program.

If an MSDP student is interested in returning to the University of Minnesota to complete a Ph.D. after the international experience, that student could be eligible for departmental funds through fellowships or TA and RA positions.

Students are encouraged to identify their own funding sources through scholarships at UMN or externally. Students should not count on receiving financial support through the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering during their overseas experience.