Professional Development Grants
The Office of the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs offers professional development grants to support doctoral students’ scholarly work and preparation for a wide variety of academic and non-academic careers. PDPA recognizes that external opportunities often arise that have the potential to significantly benefit students’ professional growth. The Professional Development Grant program was established to provide financial support for such opportunities.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Selected recipients will be awarded up to $500 to cover or supplement the cost of their proposed professional development activities.
Eligibility
All current doctoral students at Boston University are eligible to apply, but preference will be given to students with a need for financial support. Professional development activities include, but are not limited to, workshops and short courses that support research, teaching, or professional skills. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and recipients will be awarded up to $500 to cover or supplement the cost of the proposed professional development activities.
Funding Restrictions
- Funding must be used for the purpose detailed in the application, and excess funds will not be disbursed.
- Funding may not be used for the purpose of presenting research at a conference.
- Professional development opportunities which directly overlap with those already offered at Boston University are not eligible for funding. For instance, students interested in developing computer programming skills should first consult the trainings currently offered by Research Computing Services.
- Grant recipients may only receive one award during the duration of their program.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:
- Value of the professional development activity and the unique opportunity it affords beyond what is currently offered on campus
- Alignment between the professional development opportunity and the candidate’s background and goals
- Potential impact of the activity on the candidate’s research, future career, and the wider BU community
- Financial need