Branson Field Laboratory

& Scholarships, Jobs & Financial Aid

Scholarships

Several scholarships in the range of $200 to $1000 each are available.  Applications should be made by letter to Bob Bauer, field camp director (see address on the Applications page), and be accompanied by 1) official transcripts for all of your college coursework (multiple schools if necessary) and 2) a sealed letter of reference from one or more of your geology professors. A minimum grade point of 3.0 on a 4-point scale is required to qualify for a scholarship. No statement of financial need is required. The amount of the award depends on the quality and number of qualified applicants in a given year. Scholarship awards will be made on February 15th. There is no deadline for scholarship applications; however funds may become limited after February 15th.

NAGT Scholarships

The National Association of Geology Teachers (NAGT) provides several $500 scholarships to students enrolled in qualified geology field courses. Information about these scholarships and a downloadable/printable application form are available at this NAGT website link.  Updated information and forms (for 2007) are generally available by late October or early November. The deadline for submission of these applications is generally February 15th. The completed NAGT forms must be submitted to NAGT and should not be returned to us.

Jobs

Several jobs are also available at the field camp. They include positions as: van drivers (~$330 and waiver of the round trip Columbia-Lander travel/lodging fee); dishwashers/kitchen help (~$285, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours per evening); sandwich makers (~$250, about 1 hour Mon-Sat morning at 5:15 AM and two hours from 7:00-9:00 AM on Sunday morning); and camp helper (~$250 plus round trip transportation from Columbia to and from camp, and room and board while traveling and while opening and closing camp). The camp helper job requires departure from Columbia driving one of the camp vehicles on May 25th and departure from camp to Columbia on July 16th, driving one of the camp vehicles. The number of jobs depends upon enrollment, but we may hire as many as 5 van drivers, 3 dishwashers, 2 sandwich makers, and 1 camp helper. The jobs as van drivers and camp helper require a departure from Columbia, MO and a return to Columbia.

If you are interested in applying for a job, please send us an e-mail (or letter) indicating your job preference along with your application. Job offers are made on a first-come first-serve basis until all jobs are filled.

Financial Aid

The University of Missouri does not provide State or Federal financial aid to non-MU students.  However, if you are eligible for such programs through your college or University, you may be able to apply your institution's financial aid toward our course through a Visiting Student Consortium Agreement.  For more information about this option, contact Caroles Taylor at the MU Financial Aid Office (573-882-7506 or TaylorC@missouri.edu ; students from Kansas, Illinois or Missouri may call toll free at 800-225-6075 ).