Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative

The Graduate School at The University of Alabama (UA) has created the Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative (SGPI) as part of its ongoing efforts to continually improve graduate education at the university. A major component of improving graduate education is increasing access to graduate education.

SGPI’s strategy for improving access to graduate education is to develop partnerships with undergraduate and/or minority serving institutions that create pathways to graduate education.

SGPI offers four possible partnership arrangements: 

1. Priority admission into SGPI summer Research Experiences for Undergraduate students (REU) for a limited number of applicants from partner institutions who meet the minimum requirements.

2. Priority admission into partnering UA graduate programs for a limited number of applicants from partner institutions who meet the minimum admission requirements.
3. Accelerated master’s program partnerships (AMP²) are similar to the advanced placement (AP) courses that allow advanced high school students to earn college credit prior to earning their high school diploma. UA’s AMP² allows undergraduate students to earn up to 12 credit hours towards their graduate degree in select programs. AMP² students would enroll in online UA courses during their senior year to earn graduate course credit.
4. Collaborative grant proposals where UA faculty and staff work with faculty and staff from partner institutions to submit proposals to external funding agencies.

Finances and Funding

• There is a limited number of fellowships and assistantships to support the above partnership arrangements.
• Undergraduates who participate in SGPI’s summer REU receive a stipend and free housing.
• AMP² students not on tuition scholarships during the senior year of their undergraduate degree would be responsible for paying tuition for UA graduate courses taken online. The partner institution would not incur any loss of tuition under this arrangement.

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