Funding Your Geology Degree
Paid Experience
Not only can you earn money toward your degree, but you will gain valuable experience that will make you more competitive for future opportunities.
- The SUU Intergovernmental Internships Cooperative (IIC) in partnership with the Outdoor Engagement Center offers paid summer internship opportunities with public lands agencies including National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Native American Tribes of Southern Utah, Arizona, and eastern Nevada. Be sure to get on the IIC email list to receive announcements about these great opportunities.
- SUU Teaching Assistantship opportunities are available each semester. Get paid to grade papers or assist with geology labs. Let your professors know that you are interested to learn more about these opportunities.
- SUU Writing Fellows assist students in groups and one-on-one with technical writing in various disciplines. These paid positions are available each semester. For more information, visit SUU’s Writing Center and fill out an application!
- United States Geological Survey (USGS) Internship opportunities are available all over the United States each year. These professional experiences add significant credentials to your resume/curriculum vitae. The applications do take a bit more effort to complete, but the learning experience is valuable. Let your professor know if you intend to apply for one of these positions for suggestions and helpful hints to make your application stand out. For more information, visit the USGS website.
- Geological Society of America (GSA) supports a number of internship opportunities each summer and provides links to other opportunities that could be of interest. Go to their internships webpage for more information (http://www.geosociety.org/links/intrnshp.htm ). In some cases, you may need to be a member to apply to these opportunities. For more information, visit the GSA website.
Don’t stop here. New opportunities are everywhere! Seek them out to gain experience and distinguish yourself as a young professional.
Scholarships
Pay for your education and gain valuable skills toward grant writing. These skills demonstrate to graduate schools and future employers that you are a competitive candidate capable of funding your own research.
- SUU’s Walter Maxwell Gibson Research Fellowship opportunities including $3000 in student research pay (yes, you can get paid to do your research!) and funding toward consumables and travel support are available each year. These competitive awards will distinguish you in the eyes of graduate schools and future employers. For more information on the Walter Maxwell Gibson Research Fellowship, download the PDF.
- SUU’s L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs Research and Scholarship Funding is available for student designed research projects to support the expenses of supplies and travel to your research site. Consider this funding early in the development of your research projects as specific funding deadlines apply. Check to see if your research meets the four criteria requirements and complete an application on-line.
- Rocky Mountain Region of the Geological Society of America offers funding opportunities for research and travel to regional and national conferences. For more information, visit the Rocky Mountain Region of the Geological Society of America website. You must become a student member of the Geological Society of America (GSA) to be considered for these opportunities. Visit the GSA website to join.
- SUU Honors Program funding is available to registered honors students in support of research, to fund travel to conferences, and more. Find out how the SUU Honors Program helps you define your education. Visit the SUU Honors Program website. To apply for funding visit the Honors Program Office in the Gerald R. Sherratt Library.
- Salt Lake Chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists offers several scholarship awards each year including funding for field camp. Female students may apply for these scholarships each year. For more information, visit the Salt Lake Chapter of the Associate for Women Geoscientists website.
- Utah Geological Association (UGA) offers field camp scholarships to geology majors who will be graduating from Utah colleges and universities and attending field camp in Utah. Visit the UGA website.
- Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) offers multiple scholarships each year to female students. In particular, scholarships are available for students whose education or career has been interrupted. Find out more at the AWG website.
- Geological Society of America (GSA) offers numerous grant opportunities and provide valuable grant writing experience to distinguish your scholarly record. For more information, visit the GSA grants webpage.
Not quite ready for these opportunities? Unpaid sophomore assistantships may be available. Get research experience and build your skill set by helping upper classmen and professors collect and process data. Take advantage of Geology Club meetings and socials to network with your peers and talk about possible opportunities.