Graduate Students

As a graduate student at the Clark School, you'll find an outstanding faculty, a friendly environment, close proximity to the cultural amenities of Washington, D.C., state-of-the-art laboratories and computing resources, and excellent assistance in and opportunities for employment.

The school offers both full-time master and doctoral programs and programs for working professionals.

You may also take advantage of the broad range of student services offered by the University of Maryland and the Clark School that cover many aspects of the student experience.

      9/15/25 - Sprayable Hydrogel Shows Promise for Overcoming Drug Delivery Challenges

      Researchers from the University of Maryland’s Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) and Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices have developed a first-of-its-kind sprayable hydrogel that could transform how medicines are delivered to the lungs, nose, and other mucosal tissues. This research, led by BIOE Associate Professor Gregg Duncan, BIOE Assistant Research Professor and Fischell Institute Young Investigator Fellow Taj Yeruva, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Peter Kofinas, has been selected for the cover of Biomaterials Science and appeared in the journal’s 16th issue in September. 

      6/30/25 - ISR Alumnus Earns Prestigious NSF CAREER Award

      Dipankar Maity, Ph.D., an alumnus of the Institute for Systems Research and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to support his pioneering research into how autonomous systems collaborate over shared communication networks.

      4/23/25 - MSE Alum Wins Distinguished Dissertation Award

      Nick Schwartz Ph.D.’24, a recent alum of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, received the Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award, an accolade by the University of Maryland Graduate School. He was recognized for his efforts towards a fusion reactor—a device designed to harness energy from the reaction that fuels some forms of plasma, like the Sun. 

      2/13/2025 - Marc Dandin Receives NSF CAREER Award

      University of Maryland’s (UMD) Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) alumnus Marc Dandin, 04, M.S. ’07, Ph.D. ’12, has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. Currently as an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Dandin earned the prestigious five-year grant in recognition of his work in microsystems engineering, integrated circuit design, and biomedicine. Dandin also serves on the BIOE Advisory Board where he continues to demonstrate his commitment to UMD by contributing his expertise and guidance to shape the future of bioengineering education and innovation.

      1/6/25 - Ph.D. Student Ian Smith Receives National Grant for Tumor-on-a-Chip Research

      Ian Smith, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate at the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE), received a fellowship from the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) and National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) to fund his research creating models that replace the need for animal experimentation. The grant supports his innovative work on a “tumor-on-a-chip” model—a device designed to replicate the structural, cellular, and signaling aspects of human tumors. 

      10/25/24 - Driven by Purpose: Sylvie DeLaHunt Honored for Leadership in Diversity and STEM Advocacy

      University of Maryland (UMD) alumna Sylvie DeLaHunt ’14, M.S. ’16 has built a successful career as a highly technical engineer at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)—where she is currently a Senior Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer and assistant supervisor of APL’s Discovery Program—but she has also become a leading voice for empowering women in STEM and an advocate at all levels to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

      3/4/24 - Alumna Blasts Into Space

      As the countdown reached zero and the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off amid billowing smoke and flame from the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Sunday night, a Terp was preparing to take up temporary residence in a new home circling over the globe. Mission specialist Jeanette Epps M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’00, one of four astronauts on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, is beginning a six-month stint on the International Space Station (ISS), where she’ll serve as a flight engineer. A NASA astronaut since 2009, she ventured into space for the first time.

      Upcoming Events

      Find a calendar of events curated for engineering graduate students through Suitable. Also available as a mobile app in your app stores.

      Commencement Ceremony

      Are you about to complete your degree? Visit the Commencement Ceremony page for all the times, dates, procedures and guest information you need.

      Student Societies

      The Clark School supports more than 30 active student societies, such as the Engineering Student Council, departmental honor and professional societies and special interest organizations.

      Opportunities current and future Clark School graduate students to compete, earn awards, or receive fellowships

      Advising

      As graduate student, your main source for advising is your department or program:

      Parental Accommodation for Graduate Students

      It is the policy of the Graduate School that all graduate assistants have the right to a 8-week paid absence for the birth or adoption of a child. To learn more about the academic policies and assistantship policies for graduate student parental leave, visit the Graduate School's policy page here.

      Graduate School Writing Center

      The Graduate School Writing Center offers support for graduate students at every stage of their development as academic and professional communicators who can, in turn, fulfill the university’s mission of sharing research, educational, cultural, and technological strengths with the broader community.

      The Center offers:

      • Writing and oral communication consultations
      • A variety of workshop and weekly write-ins
      • Writing Groups
      • English editing for international graduate students
      • Information on how to use sources in your writing
      • Resources for writing in your, or another, discipline
      • Resources for writing in a specific linguistic or cultural context

      Embedded Counselor for Maryland Engineering

      The Embedded Counselor is a licensed mental health professional employed by the Counseling Center. As such, all mental health services provided by the Embedded Counselor are confidential and follow Counseling Center policies (visit the Counseling Center FAQs page for more information).

      The Embedded Counselor works specifically for Maryland Engineering, tailoring services and programs to the unique needs of engineering students. Information about additional Counseling Center services, resources, and programs is available at counseling.umd.edu. Urgent services are available to students in person at the Shoemaker Building during business hours or by phone at (301) 314-7651 outside of business hours.

      University Counseling Center

      The University Counseling Center provides comprehensive support services that promote the personal, social, and academic success of UMD students.

      Resources:

      • The Counseling Center is offering a number of counseling groups specifically geared toward graduate students. These groups are a great way to connect with others, learn about yourself, improve your mental health, and receive support. This semester groups will take place virtually. An intake appointment is required to participate in the groups. The groups are free to registered graduate students. If graduate studen ts are interested in any groups, please contact the counseling center at 301-314-7651 to schedule an intake appointment. The services are free to graduate students. The schedule of the upcoming group sessions can be accessed at this page. 

      • The Counseling Center is hosting drop-in virtual workshops on a wide range of topics (Coping Skills, Academic Success, Relationships and Communication, Resilience and Adaptability) to support your health and wellbeing. More information can be found here.

      The Health Center has daily online meditation groups which vary in topic.  Students can go to health.umd.edu/meditation to register for the groups and learn more about the meditation sessions.

      UMD National Scholarships Office

      The UMD National Scholarships Office and the Graduate School have experienced staff and hold information sessions to help students explore various fellowship opportunities.  Many students found the application process a valuable experience, and if awarded, the external fellowships not only help augment the resources and provide flexibilities to the graduate research of the fellows, but also provide additional peer and mentoring networks with potentially lasting impact on the fellows' career development.  

      Prospective and early-career doctoral students:

      • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) - 3 years of full support for PhD studies, with an annual stipend of $34,000, in science, math, engineering, and social/behavioral science fields.

      • DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship

      • Hertz Graduate Fellowship

      • Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship (info)

      Mid-career graduate students:

      • Google Fellowship  (Initially UMD internal selection)

      • Apple Fellowship  (Initially UMD internal selection)

      UMD External Fellowships Database
      University of Illinois Fellowship Finder

      Proposal Development Services for Graduate Students and Postdocs

      If you are planning to submit an external fellowship application to support your research, please reach out to discuss how we can support you at proposals@umd.edu, or submit your PDM support request here! The Research Development Office is excited to partner with the Graduate School to provide free Proposal Development and Management (PDM) services to Graduate Students and Postdocs seeking external fellowships of $10,000 or more to support their research. Our team works with students and postdocs year-round on an individual basis to Strategize, Develop, Review, and Elevate proposals.

      Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities

      Johns Hopkins University Vice President for Research Denis Wirtz has compiled a list of funding opportunities for researchers. As of Fall 2022, there are over 380 items search through. The list can be found by clicking here.

      Graduate School Professional and Career Development Office
      The Graduate School has launched a Professional and Career Development office for current doctoral students. Get started looking into their services and events here. Other quick links:


      Clark School Career Services for Engineering Students

      Find more here about:

      • Finding an Internship or Job
      • Meeting Employers
      • Increasing Your Employability
      • Getting Career Advice
      • You're Hired, Now What?

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