Professional Development Awards

Professional Development Awards provide support for students to attend major professional meetings at which they present an original paper based on their research conducted at the University of Texas. The Graduate School allocates travel funds to each program at the beginning of each academic year. The graduate adviser and graduate coordinator can nominate students for these awards, which are approved and administered by the Graduate School.

Amounts can vary, but the recommended range is $100-1,000, with it suggested that students be limited to one award per academic year. Students must be registered full time during the semester the funds are to be used. (Registration for the prior spring semester will fulfill this requirement for the summer semester unless the student has graduated.)

Nominations

Nominations can be submitted by the graduate adviser or coordinator using the online Graduate School Awards System, available in EASI.

The application process involves these steps:

1. The graduate adviser or graduate coordinator calls for applications for a fall, spring or summer award period by the program deadline (if applicable). Programs should provide their instructions to the student, then refer students to this page for more information and to access the student application form.
2. The student completes the application form, saves it as a PDF, and sends the completed form along with a copy of his or her abstract and evidence of acceptance to the graduate adviser or graduate coordinator as directed by the program.

Deadlines

Departments may submit an application as soon as the abstract has been accepted for presentation. Award may be paid in advance of travel. If student doesn't attend the conference, then the Professional Development Award must be repaid.