Coastal Sciences Graduate Fellowship in Support of Diversity

How to Apply

To be considered for a fellowship, applicants will be required to submit the following by the application deadline via usm.edu/admissions/

1. CV
2. Official transcripts
3. Statement of purpose
4. Three letters of recommendation. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure recommendation letters are submitted by the deadline.
5. Essay that speaks to the candidate’s inclusion in one or more historically underrepresented group in higher education. 

The Essay

In the essay, applicants should provide insight about how they could contribute to a scholarly environment that values inclusivity and diversity. Applicants should also consider their potential in contributing to the inclusivity of coastal sciences, USM, and their broader field of study, as applicable. The essay should be a maximum of two pages. Applicants should use this essay to address how one or more of the following identities or experiences, and their intersections, have influenced their career to this point (including how those experiences influenced their decision to apply for graduate school):

• Member of an ethnic or racial group underrepresented or marginalized in graduate education and coastal and marine science, including, but not limited to, Black, Indigenous (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or other Native Pacific Islander) and/or Latinx.
• First-generation college student   
• McNair or Mellon Mays Undergraduate Scholar
• Other identities and experiences, including, but not limited to:
  − Being of a gender and/or sexual orientation/ identity historically underrepresented
  − Military veteran
  − Those who manage a disability
  − Those who have experienced housing or food insecurity
  − Single parents

Evaluation

The candidates will be initially evaluated based on the completeness of their applications, their academic records (as evidenced through their CVs and transcripts), their potential to flourish in the Coastal Sciences program (as evidenced through their statements of purpose and letters of recommendation), and potential to contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion in the Division of Coastal Sciences (as evidenced in their essays). The top three candidates will then be invited for an on-campus or virtual interview with faculty and students from the Division of Coastal Sciences. Preference for Mississippi residents from historically underrepresented groups in coastal and marine science may be shown if all other marks between applicants are equal.