Student Research and Professional Development

Program Overview

The purpose of the Student Research Associateship (SRA), Mentored Student Research Travel (SRT), and Student Professional Development (SPD) programs is to provide opportunities for students to participate in on/off-campus mentored research or fieldwork and to present at appropriate discipline-specific professional meetings/conferences. Applicants must be current BYUH students to apply and qualify for SRA/SRT/SPD funding at the time of research and/or travel. Research projects must be initiated and mentored by full-time faculty members. Students may not apply to receive travel support for more than one trip within the same calendar year.

Find the right support program below for you and consult the guidelines for application and proposal writing before you submit the application.

Associate Programs

There are three major ways at BYUH for students to be involved in mentored research:

1. SRA (Student Research Associateship) Program: it functions like an independent study course, where students conduct mentored research and must register under the discipline’s 496R course number. The program also requires students to present the research findings at a discipline-specific professional conference. Potential presentation venues and dates must be included in the application. Acceptance to a conference should follow to finalize the approval for travel.
2. SRT (Student Research Travel) Program: students work as project-based RA (research assistant) for faculty members and get paid like regular campus student employees (up to 19 hours/week, and employment ends at the conclusion of project as proposed by full-time faculty). When travel is necessary to collect data for research, SRT provides support for such purposes.
3. SPD (Student Professional Development) travel support: students receive travel support to present at an eligible scholarly/professional discipline-specific conference (requires a full-time faculty mentor). This program does not require students to be concurrently enrolled in an Independent Research Associateship (496R) course. Application with research plan, conference abstract and other relevant information (application form, proposal, IRB proposal & CITI certification) should be submitted when the abstract is being submitted to potential conference venue. Final approval is contingent upon acceptance to present at conference (submit the acceptance letter to finalize approval and travel).

Important Notes:

• All forms must be signed by the mentor and faculty dean and accompanied by the full proposal.
• Priority is given to support for domestic travel.
• Travel support for group projects is limited to two students for the same project or per faculty mentor per year.
• All international travels for faculty or students must be approved by the Academic Vice President. Students traveling internationally must be accompanied by a faculty mentor who oversees the research and also presents at the same conference.
• The programs cover, up to $2000, flight/ground transportation, lodging (no meals are included), and registration fees only. So, please keep in mind the budget amount for the application.

Key Dates for SRA and SRT Applications

For SPD, applications must be submitted no later than one month before travel.

Communicate with the SRA/SRT/SPD at admin_aid@byuh.edu.