PhD Student Travel Award Policy

School of Business Doctoral Travel Award Fund

School of Business doctoral students presenting a paper at a research conference may apply for reimbursement of travel expenses. You may receive an award of up to $600 to assist with expenses.  Students are eligible to receive an award for travel expenses only once during each fiscal year (July 1 to June 30), but are eligible for an award each year of their tenure in the PhD Program. After receipt of a first School of Business travel award, a student must present evidence that he or she has also sought travel funds from a source external to the School, such as the University Vilas Travel Grant or from a federal agency such as the National Science Foundation.  Students should also apply for departmental funds for travel if they are available.  For this purpose, departmental funds are considered to be internal awards.

Application Procedures
Prior to attending the conference, write a one-page summary that clearly justifies how you will use the School of Business Travel Award.  While we hope to fund as many of our students as possible, this is a competitive award; the document must be professional and well-written. Submissions exceeding one page will not be considered.  The statement should include:

  • Name of conference or event
  • Destination/Location
  • Summary of costs; provide a budget of all anticipated expenses
  • The date you are leaving
  • The duration of stay
  • A short, concise explanation of the importance of this travel to your research and advancement
  • The significance of the conference/research for your field.

(If possible, include a conference website/contact)

  • Report of any other funding that you are receiving (or have applied for) for your travel
  • A letter of recommendation from your advisor supporting your travel and confirming your eligibility.  If you have applied for a Vilas or other competitive award requiring a recommendation, you may submit a copy of that letter in lieu of an original one.

Send this statement to Assistant Dean Phil Miller at pjmiller@bus.wisc.edu or deliver to 2266-B Grainger Hall. 

Policies for Award Notification and Acceptance

  • Please submit your request no less than three weeks prior to the date of departure.  Failure to do so may result in denial of approval or in delay of funding. 
  • Each award will not exceed $600.  Upon completion of the travel, you must complete an official travel expense request, also known as a TER.  If you are submitting a TER for other funds, such as those drawn from school or departmental accounts, you should place all expenses on one TER.  This will require sign-off by someone with authority over each source of funds.  See Phil Miller or Belle Heberling for assistance with this process.  As with any travel funded through University accounts, you are subject to state travel policies, guidelines, and expense/reimbursement limitations.  You will find these at http://www.uwsa.edu/fadmin/fppp/fppp36.htm. 
  • Approvals are not transferable to other conferences or events without re-application.
  • If you have any questions or need further clarification, please contact Phil Miller at pjmiller@bus.wisc.edu or at 265-5105.