Teaching/Research Assistantships starting at $20,772/year; amount of support depends on prior degrees and experience
Half-time clinical appointments to qualified optometrists starting at $35,000/year
Tuition support for full-time students working 50% time as teaching/research assistants
Health Insurance covered for full-time students working 50% time
Pre- and post-doctoral traineeships on National Eye Institute training grant
Significant financial assistance for students in combined O.D./Ph.D. program
Annual Salary of $35,000 for combined Graduate Program/Residency students
Other fellowships available from national organizations
National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program for eligible O.D.s and other post-doctoral students who qualify
Doctoral Student Tuition Fellowship (DSTF)
All graduate students must be in good standing and currently enrolled in a College of Optometry Physiological Optics and Vision Science graduate program. The college DSTF will support funding for 9 SCH (semester credit hours) for fall and spring and 6 SCH for summer.
To be eligible to be considered for funding, a student must have an undergraduate degree or its equivalent and be admitted to a UH College of Optometry graduate program, devoting full time (9 credit hours per semester and six hours during the summer) effort to a Ph.D.
Continuing students must have shown satisfactory progress in the degree program as defined by the College of Optometry graduate program in physiological optics and vision science.
Continuing students must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 (all digits significant) in the Ph.D. program.
Students who enter the doctoral program with a master's degree may hold the fellowship for no more than four academic years.
Doctoral degree seeking students who enter the doctoral program directly from a baccalaureate program may hold the fellowship for no more than six academic years.
Graduate students holding the fellowship must agree not to be employed (on or off-campus) for more than 20 hours per week (50% FTE). Violation of this provision will result in withdrawal of the funding during the semester in which the violation occurs.
The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research with advice, as needed from the Graduate Review Committee, will decide on an annual basis the number of awards based upon funds available.
Distribution of DSTF positions, the number available, and policies will be reviewed as resources change.
UH/UHCO Competitive Fellowships
Based on funding availability in any given year, graduate students may be eligible for financial assistance through competitive fellowships at the University of Houston's Office of Graduate & Professional Studies or the UH College of Optometry.
To learn more about the University-level fellowship programs, please click here.
To learn about UHCOP-based fellowship programs, please contact the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research.