Travel Support

Policy for conference travel support for STT PhD students

Updated 7/2/2026 

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

Eligibility criteria: Must be a current student in the STT doctoral 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, and accommodation. Does not include meals. This is limited to conferences in the USA or Canada. If virtual, then international conferences are possible. Please apply for travel support BEFORE you travel. 

Decision rules: The cap for individual students is $2,000 for the entirety of their program. Multiple requests are possible if the sum stays below this cap. Travel support is subject to fund availability. 

• 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 required to apply / ask for funding from the major advisor/guidance committee chair, conference organizers, funding agencies, and/or other funding avenues.
• If you plan on applying for a travel fellowship from the MSU Graduate School, they require students to show advisor financial support or apply for department funds before applying for Grad School travel support. The Grad School will support up to $1,000 over the duration of a student's program. https://grad.msu.edu/funding/travel-funding
• 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). Students must apply for travel support before they attend the conference. 

Instructions for STT Travel Support Form: 

1. A pre-trip travel request 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. 
2. To request funding, please complete the STT Travel Support Form here.
3. Name of the conference or professional meeting. 
4. The date(s) and the location of the conference. 
5. 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. 
6. A break-down of the costs for conference attendance. Meals are not covered by STT.
7. Signature from STT PhD advisor to confirm progress in the degree program.
8. 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.