Financial Support for PhD Students
The Physiological Sciences program provides support for full-time predoctoral students in good standing for five consecutive years. This includes a stipend, health insurance, and tuition.
The current funding package for doctoral students includes:
| Annual Stipend for Living Expenses, Year 1 and 2 | $27,540 |
| Benefit: In State Tuition | $12,106 |
| Benefit: Health Insurance | $2,861 |
| Benefit: Out of State Tuition supplement (if applicable) | $20,184 |
| Total Salary and Benefits each year, Including Out of State Tuition | $62,691 |
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The funds utilized by the Program to support the doctoral student stipends are derived from NIH Training Grants, Graduate College Fellowships, External Fellowships, and faculty grant funding. The strength of the graduate training program in Physiological Sciences has been recognized by the award of highly competitive T32 training grants from the National Institutes of Health. NIH student support for training in the areas of Cardiovascular Physiology and Biomedical Imaging and Spectroscopy are available. These T32 programs offer support to graduate students in all areas of physiology. PhD students with interests in Cardiovascular Diseases, Lung Disorders and Diabetes can compete for positions on an NIH Funded Training Grant (T32).
Graduate students are guaranteed funding for their first-year, allowing them to spend their first year exploring different labs (rotations) and finding the one best suited to their own research interests. In subsequent years, after the student has declared the lab in which they intend to do their dissertation, the student's funding is derived from support from their faculty advisor, or they can compete for Training Grant positions. The top students in the program will be nominated for Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Fellowships which supplement the annual stipend.
The intention of support cannot be construed as a guarantee of continuous support to any student. However, the Physiological Sciences Program makes every effort to provide financial aid to our students throughout their academic careers.
Financial Support for Master's Students
All MS students have an opportunity to apply and interview for Teaching Assistantships in the Department of Physiology. These highly competitive assistantships cover a stipend, tuition, and health insurance for two years.
The current funding package for master's students includes:
| Annual Stipend for Living Expenses | $19,165 |
| Benefit: Tuition Remission (up to) | $12,106 |
| Benefit: Health Insurance | $2,861 |
| Benefit: Out of State Tuition supplement (if applicable) | $20,184 |
| Total Salary and Benefits each year, Including Out of State Tuition | $54,316 |
Consider Tucson's Cost of Living: View comparison to other states at CityRating.com.
*The Physiological Sciences Program also participates in the Western Regional Graduate Program, which enables students in qualifying states to apply for Arizona resident tuition rates.
There are other avenues of financial support for the Masters students:
- Research assistantship
This option is available to students that have identified a faculty sponsor who can guarantee two years of financial support for the student (at 50% time) at the time of the student's application to the program. Applicants interested in this option should contact faculty members of interest directly or make their research interests known on their application form. The faculty sponsor must indicate that support will be provided if the student is accepted. Teaching will not be required. - Self support
Students must state in this circumstance that they can reasonably expect to have an independent means of support for 2 years, such as a 2 year fellowship, personal income from a job, or other options. The Physiological Sciences Program and the Dept. of Physiology have no responsibility for financial support for these Masters students. Teaching will not be required.
In some cases, combinations of partial teaching assistantships and partial research assistantships may be arranged. Regardless of the avenue of support, all Masters applicants are held to the same minimum academic requirements for admission into the program.
Applicants to the program should mark their preference for which form of financial support they would prefer, however, the ultimate avenue of a student's financial support will be determined by the Physiological Sciences program upon acceptance.
Additional Funding
The University of Arizona Graduate College offers additional funding opportunities to support students from diverse backgrounds including:
- Graduate Access Fellowship and Tuition Awards - PhD and MS
- Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) - PhD
- University of Arizona / Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (UA/SIGP) - PhD and MS
Doctoral students may be eligible for the American Physiological Society's Porter Physiology Development Fellowship.
- Award amount: $28,300 stipend
- Application deadline: January 15
- Who can apply: Graduate student members from underrepresented racial/ethnic minority backgrounds who are enrolled in a full-time program leading to a PhD. Advisor/PI must be an APS member in good standing at time of application.