Doctoral Students
There are three primary mechanisms that provide financial support to doctoral students during their studies.
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs)
Graduate research assistants are funded through a combination of internal College of Pharmacy funds and extramural grant/contract support generated by Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy faculty. Graduate research assistants are expected to support Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy faculty in their research and teaching activities and are compensated at a rate of $30,000/year and in addition to full tuition waivers and are renewable for up to four years. ALL students who apply for admission to the doctoral program will automatically be considered for funding as a graduate research assistant unless stated otherwise by the applicant.
Fellowships
The UAMS campus has several fellowship programs that provide specialized research training in areas relevant to Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy and provide financial support for Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy graduate students. Pre-doctoral fellowships offer the same compensation as a graduate research assistant ($30,000/annually + tuition waiver) but instead of providing support to the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy division, the student will enter mentored research training in the focus area of the fellowship. If a student possesses a prior doctoral degree (Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) they may apply for a Post-doctoral fellowship which compensates students at a rate of approximately $50,000/year. There is a separate application process to apply for fellowships and students may apply for fellowships at the time of application to the doctoral program or after they have completed 1-3 years of study in the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy program. Currently there are two NIH funded T32 training programs available to Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy graduate students and students have been placed in health policy fellowships in the recent past at the Arkansas Center for Healthcare Improvement.
- NIDA T32Addiction Research Training Program at UAMS
- Arkansas Center for Health Disparities T32 Pre-Doctoral Research Training Program
UAMS Licensed Pharmacist
For graduate students that are licensed to practice in the state of Arkansas and want to grow their pharmacy practice skills, Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy graduate students may apply for a part time pharmacist position at the UAMS Department of Pharmacy Services and work 8-20 hours per week while enrolled as a full time graduate student. Part time pharmacists are paid approximately $65/hour and may earn up to $67,500/year, however the position does not include benefits nor a tuition waiver.
Self Financing or Supplementing Income while a student
If a student has other support for their educational expenses and can document that support in the case of foreign applicants, they can request admissions without funding, but this request will not affect their chances of being offered funding. In addition to internal funding as a graduate research assistant or fellow, applicants are encouraged to compete for extramural grants to fund or supplement their educational expenses. Students that are legally permitted to seek outside employment may do so as long as the work does not interfere with their training or graduate research assistantship responsibilities.
Students Studying for a Master’s Degree
Funding in the form of graduate research assistantships or fellowships is typically not provided to those studying in the Master of Science graduate program. Students studying for master’s degrees who are licensed to practice in the state of Arkansas may apply for a part time pharmacist position at the UAMS Department of Pharmacy Services and work 8-20 hours per week while enrolled as a full time graduate student and earn approximately $65/hour, however the position does not include benefits nor a tuition waiver. Foreign applicants to the Master of Science program must provide valid proof of funding covering tuition and living expenses for the entire duration of the program before being admitted.