MBS Rural Community Health Scholarship

Western’s MBS in Rural Community Health program offers scholarships for incoming graduate students and fellowships for continuing students to help offset expenses (tuition, housing, living), to enhance collaboration between students and their community partners, to enrich students’ Practicum projects, and to improve students’ professional lives. Funding is a competitive process and awarded only to qualified MBS students. Funding awards are for one full academic year and are applied directly to students’ university accounts in two payments during fall and spring semesters, respectively.

• Applicants must be an admitted MBS student enrolled in at least 6 credits in both fall and spring semesters during the academic year of scholarship/fellowship application. Applicants must demonstrate continued progress toward MBS degree completion (e.g., no incompletes or gaps in enrollment).
• The student should stay on track so they can complete their Master’s degree within 6 semesters of initial enrollment.
• Applicants must commit in writing to work full-time in a job related to community health in a rural area of Colorado for at least two years after completing the MBS degree (this may imply the equivalent of two years depending on work schedule and the stability of a recipient’s work history; e.g., four years if the work is half-time). If for any reason a student thinks they will not be able to fulfill this pledge, then they should not apply for this funding opportunity.
• Applicants must submit a letter of interest (600-word maximum) that demonstrates a high level of deservingness and need. This letter should describe how the financial award would support the student’s educational journey in community health (relative to their progress in the MBS degree path), including some commentary about their related professional pursuits, achieved or potential contributions to the community, and personal development.