Masters in Teaching Scholarships
Graduate students in teaching have more opportunities for financial support and financial relief than most graduate students. The ongoing shortage of teachers in American public schools has led to inventive programs sponsored at both the state and federal level. In addition there are endowed scholarships for education students at both the undergraduate and graduate level underwritten by teaching organizations and education advocacy organizations. As always, the scholarship database at your school is a great place to start when looking for scholarships, fellowships or grants because many of the nationally endowed scholarship programs are left to individual schools to administer.
1. The National Science Foundation oversees the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which is a natural choice for a master’s in teaching candidate who is making a career change. The program is designed to divert students majoring in math, engineering, science or a technology field to teaching careers in math and science. This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students in or entering a teaching program. This scholarship also carries a requirement for commitment to teach in an area with acute need for math and science teachers.
2. Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program is a federal program that provides incentive to teachers who will work for five consecutive years in a low-income school district by forgiving a substantial portion of their federal student loans. Stafford Loans are the standard federally guaranteed student loans made available to undergraduates and graduates. New teaching graduates who engage in the required teaching commitment are eligible for up to $17,500 in relief on Stafford Loans and loan interest.
3. The Soros Foundation has created a fellowship program for graduate students who are recent arrivals in the United States. Applicants for the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans are limited to students who have immigrated to the U.S. since birth. The fellowships are awarded to applicants who have demonstrated contributions to their community and who can show how their educational goals will also provide social benefit.
4. Hispanic Scholarship Fund manages six programs for graduate students of Hispanic descent. The graduate scholarships under their stewardship are sponsored by a variety of charitable trusts or corporations who have designated the scholarships for a number of academic pursuits. During its existence this organization has funneled over $100 million in scholarships and grants to Latino students.
5. Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program is the outgrowth of legislation passed by the United States Congress in 2007. The Department of Education makes grants of $4,000 per year available to undergraduate or graduate students who are willing to exchange work in a low income school district for funds to offset their education. A four year teaching commitment in a district designated as in need is required for a TEACH grant award.
6. American Association of University Women (AAUW) makes graduate student fellowships available to women who are returning to school having completed a baccalaureate with the goal of reentering the workforce. The AAUW has several other endowed scholarships at the graduate level as well as a source of community oriented funding for classroom projects.
7. New York City Department of Education has developed a program in conjunction with the State of New York called Teachers for Tomorrow. This initiative makes grants of up to $3,400 each year to teaching students who will commit to working in a high school that is in acute need of teaching support. Eligibility is confined to teachers that already have licenses, so a master’s in teaching program is the only sensible option for a grant with these stipulations.
8. Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) has program that distributes $5,000 scholarships to undergraduates, graduates or students pursuing a certificate in teaching for mathematics, one of the sciences, or technology.
9. Jack Kent Cooke Foundation until recently had a graduate level scholarship program available to outstanding students in any field. That program has been curtailed so that it is now only available to students who have also been participants in the Foundation’s undergraduate scholarship program. That unusual program is for students making the transfer from community college to four year school who need assistance moving up the educational ladder. These students could apply for a MIT scholarship from the Foundation.
10. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has a list of at least twenty scholarship programs for teaching students that are generally regional in nature but sponsored by national corporations. Chase, Georgia Pacific, GlaxoSmithKline, Northrop Grumman, UPS, Boeing, and many others are listed as sponsors of targeted scholarships for education students in various parts of the country. It’s an excellent resource for students seeking scholarship dollars for a Masters in Teaching.
