Travel Support

Policy for conference travel support for STT PhD students

Updated 4/30/2024 

Purpose: To support STT Ph.D. students presenting their research at professional conferences (in-person or virtual).   

Eligibility criteria: Students must be enrolled in their degree program and be a full-time graduate student in STT during the semester in which they receive their funding. Dual majors are eligible only if STT is the primary department. 

Funding: Reimbursements for registration, transportation, or accommodation. This is limited to conferences in the USA or Canada. If virtual, then international conferences are possible. 

Decision rules: The cap for individual students is $3,000 for the entirety of their program. Multiple requests are possible if the sum stays below this cap. STT’s annual cap for all students is $30,000 (this can be raised if funds are available). 

• Preference will be given to students in their 4^th or 5^th year of PhD program.
• Requirement: Students must have an accepted abstract to present at the conference. 
• Students are encouraged to apply for additional funding from the major advisor/guidance committee chair, MSU Graduate School, conference organizers, funding agencies, or other funding avenues. 
• Exceptions can be made by the STT chair in consultation with the Director of Graduate Programs and Graduate Program Coordinator. 

Cancellation: Funds will not be paid when the abstract is not accepted or the conference trip is cancelled. Any fees already paid by STT, e.g., registration fees, will count towards the cap. 

Process: STT calls for applications in late Fall, but applications are welcome any time (if funds last). 

To request funding, please complete the STT Travel Support Form here. Note A pre-trip travel authorization needs to be completed in MSU's travel system EBS/Concur before the travel date. Visit https://travel.msu.edu/ to learn how to navigate the system. 

Instructions for STT Travel Support Form: 

1. Name of the conference or professional meeting. 
2. The date(s) and the location of the conference. 
3. The title of the research to be presented and the list of authors (the requesting student must be a co-author). Abstract should be attached to application. 
4. A break-down of the costs for conference attendance. 
5. Signature from STT PhD advisor to confirm progress in the degree program.
6. Send completed form to the STT Graduate Program Coordinator at stt.gradoffice@msu.edu 

A decision regarding the support will be made within 3-5 days of receiving all the necessary materials by STT.  

The Graduate Program Coordinator will keep track of the funding sources and amounts for individual students.