UTRGV Dean’s Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship
Mission
The Dean’s Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship provides an exceptional undergraduate learning experience for high-achieving students, emphasizing depth and breadth of research-based academic inquiry, strong and ongoing faculty/student mentorship, effective communication of research achievement, and external recognition of academic excellence.
The core of the Dean’s Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship is the opportunity to conduct research in partnership with a faculty member, outside of the classroom. As fellows, students conduct research for a maximum of 4 years. During this period, students work closely with their research advisor which provides the opportunity for creating a mentoring relationship where the student is provided with guidance towards their career goals. Because of this unique, intense focus on research, the Dean’s Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship offers students an unparalleled advantage for post-graduate work.
Description
Dean’s Excellence Fellows are involved in experiential activities conducting research during the fall and spring semesters with faculty members in the areas of Chemistry, Physics, or Statistics. This unique opportunity provides the fellow with an annual stipend of $2,000 for each of four years for a total of $8,000. In the first Fall semester, students will identify a faculty member they are interested in working with and begin research in the Spring semester of their freshman year. Additionally, Fellows will work with faculty in the Fall and Spring semesters of years 2, 3, and 4. All Fellows are given the opportunity to present at the College of Science Annual Research Conference and are provided with funding to present their work at two state and/or national research conferences.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Dean’s Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship, the following requirements must be satisfied:
- 3.25/4.0 GPA
- Acceptance to the BSc. Chemistry, Physics, or Statistics programs
- Letter of nomination from applicant’s Chemistry, Physics, or Mathematics high school teacher or guidance counselor addressed to manar.shoshani@utrgv.edu
- Completed application form
- Submit 300-word statement describing academic career plan
- Submit High School transcripts of record
Requirements to Maintain Eligibility for Subsequent Years
To be eligible for the Dean’s Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship, the following requirements must be satisfied:
- Continued enrollment in the BSc. Chemistry, Physics, or Statistics programs
- Enrolled in 12 credit hours in each of fall and spring semesters
- Identify a faculty member in the Chemistry, Physics, or Mathematics and Statistics department to work with over the Fall and Spring semesters. Students must identify a faculty mentor to work with no later than Feb 1st and submit corresponding form
- Maintain a 3.25/4.0 GPA throughout the undergraduate tenure*
- Attend monthly meetings in the first Fall Semester
- Provide an informal research update to the other Fellows and Coordinator once a semester
- Present research results in conferences, such as the COS-annual research conference or additional state or national conferences
- Submit Annual Progress Report from research advisor no later than April 1st
- Complete lab safety training if applicable
Applications
Access the required forms for applying to the Dean's Excellence Fellowship Merit Scholarship below.
