Graduate Assistantships & Scholarships

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs)

GRA positions include full or partial tuition and a stipend for work. The School has a very limited number of these available as part of the admissions process. Research institutes and individual faculty members sometimes hire GRAs using external funding (e.g. research grants and contracts). These GRA positions are handled directly by the center/institute or faculty member. So, it is sometimes worth contacting a faculty member directly (someone who matches your interests) to see if they have positions. I've listed a few of the research centers where MURPs have found GRA positions.

Community Environmental Services (CES)

Community Environmental Services (CES) is a research and service unit within the Center for Urban Studies in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. CES has provided high quality research, technical assistance, data collection, and educational outreach services in the areas of solid waste management, recycling, waste prevention, and other resource conservation and business sustainability issues since the late 1980's.

CES employs between 15-20 students annually. Over 80% of CES staff are graduate students from programs within Portland State University including Urban and Regional Planning, Urban Studies, Public Administration and Portland International Initiative for Leadership in Ecology, Culture and Learning (PIIECEL). CES usually continues employing students over the summer. The best way for students to get hired is to drop the director Shanna Eller an email along with a resume. When they know they are hiring they contact those who they have resumes for. They also post to USP and UPA listserves.

Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory 

Professors Robert Bertini and Chris Monsere have hired several MURP students as GRAs in the ITS Lab. The ITS lab web site has additional information.

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies 

The Institute was created to better connect the university to issues of concern to communities in the six-county Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Area, and to bring new attention to key issues of metropolitan significance. Acting as both a broker and a catalyst, the Institute has been serving the region since 1992. IMS sometimes hires GRAs on externally funded projects. Contact the Director, Sheila Martin, for more information: sheilam@pdx.edu

University Studies Mentor Program 

University Studies hires graduate students to mentor Sophomore Inquiry courses. This is an option for your second year.

College of Urban & Regional Planning (CUPA) Scholarships

A list of all scholarships currently being offered by CUPA is available here.

To apply for these scholarships, please visit the PSU Scholarship online application system.  

Please note: Even if you are not yet accepted into a program in the College of Urban and Public Affairs but have submitted an application you are still elligible to apply for scholarships.  The deadline for the scholarship application in many cases is before the departments make their decisions about who they are accepting, which means if you wait to find out if you were accepted first the chance to apply for scholarship support may have already passed.

Please contact tiede@pdx.edu with any scholarship related questions.

Deadlines:

Undergraduate: Online application opens September 7th 2011 and closes February 1st 2012.

Graduate: Online application opens October 17th 2011 and closes April 2nd 2012.

Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

One of the best financial options available to students in the western states is the Western Regional Graduate Program. Part of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), the WRGP offers in-state tuition to PSU students currently living in AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, ND, SD, UT, WA, WY. All three of the TSUSP programs (MURP, MUS, and PhD) are eligible for this benefit. For more information, visit the WICHE website. Students must be full-time, in good academic standing, and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies. Application forms are due August 1 and are available here or though the Office of Graduate Studies.

Other Scholarships & Funding Opportunities

Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association

OAPA offers a scholarship each year. 

Portland Planning Diversity Awards

Portland State University’s Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning (TSUSP) is pleased to
announce the availability of three Portland Planning Diversity Awards for incoming MURP
students enrolling Fall 2012. The purpose of these awards is to attract outstanding students from
diverse backgrounds and experiences, including racial and ethnic backgrounds that are traditionally
underrepresented in graduate urban planning programs. Each award entails a two-year funding
commitment from TSUSP, including tuition waiver (up to 12 credits per term) and stipend from a
0.15 FTE (approx. 6 hour/week) graduate assistantship working with TSUSP faculty and/or staff
during the academic year.

Office of Graduate Studies - Funding and Scholarships

Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC)

The OSAC is the state student financial aid agency for Oregon. Their web site offers a wealth of financial aid and scholarship information and visitors can apply online for both Federal and Oregon programs through the FAFSA and the OSAC ESA. The OSAC also administers over 150 Private Award & Business Scholarship Programs. (The OSAC was formerly known as the "Oregon State Scholarship Commission (OSSC).")

PSU Scholarship Handbook

A "must have" document for all students, the PSU Scholarship Handbook offers information and application deadlines for more than 100 PSU scholarships, arranged by department.

PSU Educational Equity Programs and Services

The EEPS office administers most of the ethnic scholarship programs at PSU and maintains a complete notebook of minority scholarships.

PSU Information and Academic Support Center

The IASC, located in Smith Memorial Center, is an advising center for PSU students. This office offers access to the College Cost Explorer Fund Finder database.

TSUSP Funding Opportunities

A comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available to students in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning.

Women in Transportation Seminar - Portland Chapter.

A scholarship for women pursuing education in transportation-related field, such as transportation engineering, planning, finance, operations or logistics.

Norris & Stevens Real Estate Scholarship

Two $1,000 scholarships for students in the Real Estate Development Graduate Certificate program with an interest in commercial and investment real estate. Please see the Norris & Stevens Fellowship website or contact Dr. Gerard Mildner at the School of Urban Studies and Planning at (503) 725-5175, mildnerg@pdx.edu

Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Scholarship

One $1000 renewable award for women in Real Estate Development Graduate Certificate Program. Please contact Dr. Gerard Mildner for more information. 

Potential Funding Sources for Urban Studies Dissertations & Theses