The University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD-SPH) Graduate Professional Development Scholarship was established to support master’s and doctoral students in their pursuit of professional development opportunities that enhance career readiness beyond traditional classroom experiences.

Examples of such opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Scholarly, scientific, or professional conferences 
• Professional development trainings or workshops
• Networking experiences
• Other specific activities that advance a student's professional development. For example, we may be able to support some expenses associated with study abroad experiences. Please contact Dr. Bachner (jbachner@umd.edu) with questions about whether an expense might qualify.

The goal is to defray the cost of participation; the award will usually not cover the full expense. The maximum award amount per graduate student during their time at SPH is $500.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be a current SPH graduate student in an MPH, MHA, MS, MA, or PhD program.
• Must have completed at least one semester at UMD-SPH.
• Must have at least one semester left as a student at UMD-SPH.
• Must be in good academic standing.

Additional Information:

• These funds are NOT designated for research expenses, such as data collection, software, or research skills training. Research funding (especially for research-based master’s and doctoral students) may be provided by departments, advisors, or the Graduate School.
• These funds cannot be used to support the CPH exam or any tuition, fees, or other typical educational expenses.
• These funds cannot be used to support membership in a professional organization, unless that membership is included as part of conference attendance; the intent of the award is to support an activity with more direct engagement than membership.
• Students may receive multiple awards while at UMD-SPH, but the total amount awarded may not exceed $500.
• Applicants will be required to submit verification of the experience. If verification is not submitted funds must be refunded to UMD-SPH.

Award Decisions:

• Award decisions will be made by the UMD-SPH Graduate Scholarship Committee.
• Decisions will be determined by eligibility of the request, expected impact of the request on the student’s professional development, and funding availability.
• Students will be notified by email of award decisions within approximately one month of their application submission.