Graduate Affairs offers professional development awards to support graduate students’ academic work and preparation for a wide variety of academic and non-academic careers. The University recognizes that external opportunities often arise that have the potential to significantly benefit students’ professional growth.

The Professional Development Award program was revised in 2025 as part of the 2024-2027 BU Graduate Workers Union Collective Bargaining Agreement

21.2(b)Professional Development Grants. Graduate students may use these grants to cover travel expenses, room and board, materials, equipment, childcare, and any other expenses related to their professional development. Each student may be awarded up to $1500 each year to cover costs related to their professional development, distributed on a rolling basis.

Goals for the Professional Development Fund Awards – Graduate Affairs

  • Promote individual student professional development that augments and complements existing professional development available through one’s school or college, one’s academic program, or research and teaching activities 
  • Expands opportunities for graduate students to pursue professional development that increases current success while a student at BU and for one’s next career/professional steps afterwards 
  • Financially support graduate student professional development activities in a way that does not replace mentor-, program-, or school/college-based funding for research related to one’s program of study 

 

Professional Development Awards Process 

For the Process that is effective November 5, 2025, the following steps will be followed and the following procedures will be enacted 

Expectations and Eligibility

  • BU graduate students may receive a maximum of $1500 towards eligible professional development expenses within the Professional Development Award year (November 5 to August 31).  The twelve-month period begins the day the award announcement is sent via email to the applicant. Students may apply for eligible professional development experiences up to once per term (fall, spring, summer). Applications are reviewed monthly, and funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to available funds. Generally, funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to available funds. However, priority consideration will be given to applicants who have not received an award within the previous twelve months. 
  • Students may receive up to three awards within a twelve-month period with a combined total of no more than $1500. 
  • Must be an actively enrolled graduate student at Boston University 
  • Funding may not be used for the purpose of presenting research at a conference or conducting research related to their graduate academic program 
  • Professional development opportunities which directly overlap with those already offered at Boston University are not eligible for funding.  For example, students interested in developing programming skills should first consult the trainings currently offered by university entities before proposing similar, external training opportunities 
  • Per the 2024-2027 CBA, “Graduate students may use these grants to cover travel expenses, room and board, materials, equipment, childcare, and any other expenses related to their professional development. “ 
  • In order to be considered for a Professional Development Award, all applicants must complete all questions in a way that meets or exceeds the review/evaluation criteria listed in this document.  Applications must be completed and submitted by the deadlines listed below 
  • All applications must include a budget that lists the amount requested and an itemized list of what the requested funds will be used for 

Application Submission Process

 Applicants will complete a Graduate Professional Development Award application to be published on a webpage linked to the Graduate Affairs website (or other designated address).  An application is complete when the form is submitted and all requested statements and documents are submitted to meet or exceed the criteria listed below in the Review and Evaluation section of this document.  If an applicant/student wishes to correct an application or ask questions about the completeness of the application, they should contact the Graduate Affairs Professional Development team at gradpd@bu.edu, and allow at least 24 hours for a reply.  

Applicants will be asked to submit statements or attachments via the mentioned web form in all of the following areas as their application: 

  • Demographic and program information including, but not limited to, name, school/college/faculty, program, years in program, and when they last received a Graduate Professional Development Award  
  • Brief statement of the student’s professional development efforts and their career goals after completion of the student’s current BU degree/academic program, including a timeline for these goals (250 word limit) 
  • A summary of other school/college, programmatic, or faculty/mentor-based funding options they have pursued prior to applying for this award, especially if the professional development activity involved research in which the student-applicant is involved as part of their academic program and/or graduate student work. This should also include how the experiences for which they are applying cannot be achieved using existing University offered resources (250 word limit) 
  • A clear statement of purpose for any funds awarded and how the student will uses these funds (100 word limit) 
  • How each use of the funds will advance the student’s current professional development and career goals, separate from their academic preparation in their current degree program (250 word limit) 

Additionally, applicants need to complete and attach a Professional Development Award Request Excel document, which you can find here: Professional Development Funds Request1.xlsx. You must have a BU email account to access this resource. If you have problems contacting this document, contact Graduate & Postdoctoral Success at gradpd@bu.edu.

Proposal Evaluation

All proposals will be evaluated by the Review Panel along six (6) criteria, with each criterion scored on a scale of 0-4, with 4 being the highest score and 0 being the lowest. Increments of 0.5 can be used in scoring these criteria.   

  • Brief statement of the student’s professional development efforts and their career goals after completion of the student’s current BU degree/academic program, including a timeline for these goals 
  • A clear statement of purpose for any funds awarded  (description, use) 
  • How each use of the funds will advance the student’s current professional development and career goals 
  • A summary of other school/college, programmatic, or faculty/mentor-based funding options they have pursued prior to applying for this award, especially if the professional development activity involved research in which the student-applicant is involved as part of their academic program and/or graduate student work (100 word limit) 
  • Clarity and quality of the proposal and the applicants writing 
  • Quality, completeness, and clarity of the provided budget for the funds requested and alignment of budgeted items with career/professional development goals

The following scoring structure will be used for each of the above Four (4) points per item, following a “highest score is the best” approach. 

  • 4 points:The applicant’s response to this criterion exceeds the stated expectations 
  • 3.5 points:The applicant’s response is above the requirements with one minor aspect missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
  • 3 points:The applicant’s response meets expectations and is complete 
  • 2.5 points: The applicant’s response meets expectations with 1-2 minor aspects missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
  • 2 points:The applicant’s response either: 
    • Meets expectations with 1-2 major aspects missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
    • Meets most (>50%) but not all expectations, with 1-2 minor aspects missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
  • 1.5 points: The applicant’s response either 
    • Meets most (>50%) but not all expectations with with 1-2 major aspects missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
    • Meets some (<50%) expectations, with 1-2 minor aspects missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
    • Meets some (<50%) expectations, with 1-2 major aspects missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the components that were completed  
  • 1 point:Meets some (<50%) expectations, with 3 or more aspects (major or minor) missing, unclear, or below expectations, for the  components that were completed 
  • 0 points: Applicant did not address this item  

The Professional Development Award online application is available here. Please do not email applications.

If you have questions, contact gradpd@bu.edu.

Updated November 22, 2025