travel

By Ben Murray

Are you interested in presenting your work at a conference, yet don’t quite have the funds to travel?  As a graduate student at Baylor, you have access to financial help. The Graduate School is happy to support students who are conducting exciting research in their respective fields.  Specifically, two types of financial support are offered: Travel to Professional Meetings and Travel to Support Doctoral Research.  According to Dissertation and Thesis Coordinator, Sandra Harman (who also supervises the travel awards program), Travel to Professional Meetings is the award most frequently used.  Students are eligible for $300 per year.  However, if there is money left after the two trips; multiple trips within the same academic year are possible.  The award for Doctoral Research is slightly different.  In this case, the Graduate School will match funds with the student’s department, up to $300.  Doctoral students are only eligible for one such award during their time at Baylor and the money is specifically intended for dissertation research.

If you’re worried about paperwork, don’t be.  The process is actually relatively simple.  First, a student must present proof that they are a part of the conference—a program showing the student as a speaker or a letter of acceptance from someone in charge of the conference will suffice. Next, simply fill out the application, provide a supporting note from a resident faculty member, and you’re good to go!  Naturally, students must be currently enrolled in at least one credit hour at Baylor to earn an award.  If the meeting is during summertime, the student must show that they were enrolled in the Spring semester or plan to be enrolled in the Fall.

The Graduate School asks that all students submit the application 30 days before the conference in order to obtain the money before the travel date.  However, they are understanding.  Sometimes students won’t know if they will be able to attend a conference that early.  If that’s the case, the Graduate School can work with you to make sure you’re covered.

These awards have helped a multitude of students over the years.  Last year, the Graduate School funded 426 Travel to Professional Meeting Awards and they will likely surpass that number this year.  Because of these awards, students are given the opportunity to present their research and to network in their fields.  The Graduate School Travel Awards Program has helped students travel to Europe, South America, and Canada, along with locations throughout the U.S.