The MA in English program strongly encourages graduate students to present their work at one or more academic conference each year. Conferences allow students to share research, gain professional experience, and build scholarly networks. Funding is available to support these opportunities through the Graduate School and the English Department. Additional professional development funding, which can be used to defray required professional organization membership costs, is also available through the Graduate Student Association (GSA).

Students are encouraged to seek out organizations, journals, and conferences aligned with their own scholarly interests and to watch for opportunities shared via email by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students looking for venues to present their research may also find the following resources helpful:

• UPenn Call for Papers
• Regional Modern Language Associations 
• MLA Profession Conferences and Meetings 
• International All Conference Alert 
• H-Net Call for Papers 

Step 1: Once students have been accepted to present at a conference, they should apply for a STAIR Graduate Travel Grant Award, a competitive grant supported by the Division of Research, Economic Development and Innovation (REDI) that provides tiered awards for regional, national, and international travel.  

Step 2: Once students have applied for a STAIR Graduate Travel Grant Award (whether or not their application is successful), they are eligible to apply to the English department for additional conference travel funding, up to a maximum of $300 per student per academic year. To do so, students must contact the Director of Graduate Studies and the English Department Office Manager and complete a Travel Authorization form, available in the Main Office, as soon as they have submitted their STAIR grant proposal and before making any conference or travel-related purchases.  

If needed, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) also offers Professional Development Grants that can help cover professional membership fees associated with conference attendance, as well as other academic or creative development opportunities not funded through travel grants or departments. 

Students are responsible for reading and adhering to the English Department Travel Guidelines, available in the Main Office, to ensure that all plans and expenses adhere with university policy. After travel is completed, students are responsible for completing a Travel Reimbursement form, also available in the Main Office, and submitting the conference program, boarding passes, receipts and any other required documentation to the Office Manager. Travel must occur within the fiscal year in which the funding is awarded (i.e., between July 1 and June 30th).