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| Department Scholarships |  This area can seem overwhelming As with most scholarship information. Nevertheless, if the parents and student look at the amount of information as a positive thing, financial help may be closer than they think.
For example, a preliminary search for guidelines on departmental scholarships will turn up dozens of opportunities at a particular school, in a particular area of interest or even a particular part of the world. If you want to study mathematics and need some help paying the college bills, never fear, help is near. Several good universities have used money donated by former professors to set up scholarship funds, to help budding mathematicians.
Looking at two areas of study as examples may give students and parents some idea of how to make first contact, gather information and so on. At one large, west coast university, the department of landscape architecture gives scholarships to students who apply on the proper application form. A preliminary search demonstrates at least nine different scholarships in this unique area of study, many of which offer hundreds, even thousands of dollars. The application process starts at least one semester before the money is applied to tuition and fee costs, as with many scholarships, whether they are academic, athletic, departmental etc. For instance, one group of scholarships in this department has a February due date, with scholarships awarded in March. The funds or tuition reduction is then applied to a future semester or outstanding account.
Many departmental scholarships require some sort of project or essay in addition to the application. The student, in the case of landscape architecture, must describe a landscape in the state (1,000 words in this case).
A reputable Midwestern school, known nationally for its engineering programs, provides up to $3,000 every year for some departmental scholarships. The students are selected on such criteria as academic performance, leadership and service in the area of study. Other scholarships may cover 100 percent of all costs for freshmen and transfer students who major in such special categories as ceramic engineering or metallurgy.
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