Hawaii Offers Great Degree Opportunities And Fellowships

By Michelle Conner


Hawaii is one of the most undeniably beautiful states in the country. This is not just due to its incredible eye-popping flora and fauna, but due to its citizenry's concerted effort to insure its architecture blends smoothly into its natural surroundings. This sort of environmental consciousness makes the Aloha State one of the most desirable place to live, and the state actually sponsors very advanced degrees in this area. Those interested will find information for grants helpful as they progress.

Probably the most unique of these disciplines is landscape architecture, which is the science of designing outdoor environs. Walk about any of Hawaii's neighborhoods, and you'll see this field in action. To help support this, the state therefore has created a number of advanced scholarships and fellowships for its most promising citizens.

Two state plans that provide this form of financial assistance are the Rain Bird Company and the Ray E. Page scholarships. They are actually very similar; both target students who are at least up to their junior year in college or higher. They also both demand essays on the importance of landscape architecture and plans about what to do with the award. Add in an academic transcript and financial records, and it's possible to end up with $1,000 scholarship/fellowship.

The David L. Woolsey scholarship has pretty much the same qualifying criteria, except it asks for 8x10 photos of completed work instead of the essays. Otherwise, provide the right financial records, grades and recommendations, and the Woolsey will also award a student with a one-time $1,000 fellowship/scholarship.

The Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship in Garden History and Design is open to students studying landscape architecture across the country, and as its name implies, concentrates on the history of the field. It also requires the applicant be a post-graduate; include a resume and academic transcript and a formal proposal about what he or she will do with the fellowship. If approved, this time, the award is a one-time fellowship of $4,000.

It should be known that the state covets its coastline every bit as much as its land. To back this, there is an array of post-grad programs. For example, the Coastal Management Fellowship is for only open to students working incorporating some sort of natural research management into their research application. If the research application is approved, they get a fellowship of up to $32,000.

The state's coral reefs are likewise critical to Hawaii. A post-grad can take advantage of two fellowships for those who want to study them. The Coastal Management Fellowship hands out five fellowships averaging $35,000 each. Then there's the Pacific Island Assistantship. It's for post-grads who want to do geographical research on island coastlines. This awards $34,000 over a two-year period. With the economy the way it is these days, spending a little time researching accredited online colleges can have a huge impact.




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