SGS Program Manager, Sarah Beach, Holding Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidance Workshops for Graduate Students (same workshop on different days and times)

1. Monday, February 16, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Administrative Center Brookside Room, 5115 Oak ST, and via Zoom.
   1. Please register with your UMKC email address whether attending in person or via Zoom: Formatting Guidance Workshop
2. Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Administrative Center Brookside Room, 5115 Oak ST, and via Zoom.
   1. Please register with your UMKC email address whether attending in person or via Zoom: Formatting Guidance Workshop (Repeat)

Travel Grants

The School of Graduate Studies offers travel grants to help defray travel costs for the purpose of presenting original research papers or equivalent work in the creative arts at professional meetings, workshops, festivals or exhibits. Such presentations may be volunteered or invited and may be podium or poster presentations.

Amount of award

• In order to assist as many graduate students as possible, the maximum SGS travel grant is $400.
• Grants are for in-person conferences only.
• Matching funds from the student’s academic unit or program are encouraged but not required. 

How to apply

• Only one request per student will be considered per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).
• Applications have closed for events happening in September, October, November, and December. Students who received late notification of acceptance for presentations in these months may submit an application for review with the next cycle of applications, for a potential retroactive approval.
• Proof of acceptance of your presentation is required.

[Link to application] Applications are now open for travel to events happening in January, February, and March. All materials must be received at umkcsgs@umkc.edu  by 5pm on Friday, January 23^rd.

Research Grants

Eligibility

• Degree-seeking graduate students who are conducting thesis or dissertation research are eligible to apply.
• Students who will graduate prior to Spring 2027 are NOT eligible for a Research Grant in 2026-27.
• Research grant awards may be awarded more than once, but preference will be given to first-time applicants.

Award amount

The maximum award amount is $5,000. Students who need lower amounts, such as $500 or $1,000 for costs associated with their research, are encouraged to apply. Your budget does NOT need to reach the $5,000 maximum to be considered.

How to apply

The SGS Research Grant application is now open for 2026-27, and is due to umkcsgs@umkc.edu by 5pm on Friday, February 27. Please see the website for more specifics about the application requirements and post-award information.

Arthur Mag Graduate Fellowship

The Arthur Mag fellowship application is open for 2026-27, with a deadline of 5pm on Friday, February 27.

Award amount

The Arthur Mag Graduate Fellowship includes a stipend of $10,000 plus remission of up to 12 hours of graduate education tuition.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be currently enrolled graduate students in academic programs from the Bloch School of Management; the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; the School of Science and Engineering; the School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences; or the School of Law.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Students who plan on graduating before Spring 2027 are not eligible for this award program.

Please see the website for more information regarding application requirements and the selection process.

Ronald A. MacQuarrie Graduate Fellowship

The MacQuarrie Fellowship application is now open for 2026-27, with a deadline of 5pm on Friday, February 27.

The MacQuarrie Fellowship Fund was formed to assist graduate students with financial need to pursue their graduate education. Dr. Ron MacQuarrie served as Dean of the School of Graduate Studies from 1995 to 2011.

Eligibility

• New or continuing students in graduate degree programs
• Preference given to students with financial need and academic potential

Please see the website for more information about the application requirements.

Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Scholar Fellowship

The Preparing Future Faculty Scholar Fellowship application is open for 2026-27, with a deadline of 5pm on Friday, February 27. Please see the attached Call for Applications for more information about the application process and a link to the application site. Information is also available on our website.

The fellowship program helps to support first-year students within the College Teaching and Career Preparation certificate program - a 12-credit, two-year online graduate certificate program. Fellowships for the PFF program are awarded each year to competitively selected new program applicants.

Award amount

• PFF Fellows receive tuition remission for three credits and a stipend of $2,500.

Eligibility

Only current or prospective graduate students who wish to participate in the certificate program are encouraged to apply for the PFF Fellowship.

On February 27, 2026, the School of Graduate Studies and Graduate Student Council will host a joint Community of Scholars and Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) event in the Student Union.

The 3MT competition, as well as the call for abstracts for the Community of Scholars presentations, is open to ALL Master’s and Doctoral students at UMKC. Certificate students and Postdoctoral Fellows are also encouraged to present at Community of Scholars but are ineligible for the 3MT competition. Details are below for both sections of this event.

Three-Minute Thesis:

Interested students should sign up online before the deadline of January 22nd.

This is an opportunity to present your Master’s or Doctoral work orally in three minutes, with ONE fixed PowerPoint slide as an aid. The skills learned through such presentations are numerous, including how to describe your project effectively to non-experts, how to present your research succinctly in a job interview or other professional setting, and how to focus your project in terms of goals and outcomes. Constructive feedback will be provided by the judges after the event.

Monetary prizes will be awarded after the competition date for applicable winners.  

Practice sessions will be held in early January, and PowerPoint slides will be due prior to that date, with final slides due in early February prior to the full event. Further details about the schedule, the formatting of slides, and the rules of the competitions will be sent in late November to those who have signed up.

The winner (Final Round First Place) will be funded to participate in the regional MAGS 3MT competition in Kansas City on March 27, 2026: https://mags-net.org/three-minute-thesis-award/

Please consider participating in this excellent opportunity to present your research, to network with a community of Graduate Student researchers, and to get feedback on your project.

Community of Scholars:

This opportunity to present your research is open to all departments, all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Please submit an abstract online before January 22, 2025 for a Podium Presentation, Poster Presentation, or both!

Graduate Student Council will review all submissions, notify students of their acceptance in late November or early December, then communicate regarding the deadlines for poster printing and PowerPoint submissions prior to the February 27th event.

• For Podium Presentations:
  • Please prepare a 20-minute presentation on your topic, to be followed by 5 minutes of questions from the audience.
  • The abstract submission requires presenter information, presentation title, 500-2000 words of an abstract or description of the presentation, and applicable keywords.
• For Poster Presentations:
  • Please prepare a poster displaying your scholarly work, and be ready to discuss your findings with fellow graduate students and faculty during a 90-minute poster session.
  • The abstract submission requires presenter information, presentation title, 500-2000 words of an abstract or description of the work, and applicable keywords. 

We look forward to supporting your research through these important opportunities to communicate your work.

The Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Career Preparation is a 12-credit, two-year online program. Fellowships for the program are awarded each year to competitively selected applicants. Fellowship recipients receive tuition remission for 3 credits and a stipend of $2,500.

Fellowship Application Process

Applying for the Preparing Future Faculty Fellowship requires applying to the Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Career Preparation program. Only current or prospective graduate students who wish to participate in the program are encouraged to apply for the Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Career Preparation Fellowship. Applications will be reviewed for overall strengths across application materials by committee for Fall 2026 program commencement. The application for the fellowship requires three components:

• Signed Letter of Recommendation from a Faculty Mentor that comments on the applicant’s suitability for the program.

• One-Page Goals Letter describing: your future career goals and how program participation will help you to attain your career goals.

• Completed program application through UMKC online application system. Click here to Apply to the program. If you are new to the online application system, you may first need to create an account. Once you access the application, select “College Teaching and Career Preparation” from the drop-down menu.

Dr. Anandhi Upendran, based at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus, is the Director of the Biomedical Entrepreneurship Training Program for Aging.

BETA is a R25 program funded by National Institute of Aging (NIA/NIH) and administered at the University of Missouri. The program is designed to provide biomedical education with didactic and immersion experiences to participants, in a way that will broaden their skillsets useful in transitioning to other scientific positions in industry and academia. The training program will help create multidisciplinary, highly talented workforce required for innovation and translation, specifically focused on age-related diseases, including AD/ADR.

For more information on this program, please visit BETA program.

Call for Papers/Exhibition items
Environmental and Economic Challenges in Global Asia.

The KU Graduate Student Asian Studies Research Exhibition
University of Kansas, Graduate Scholars in East Asian Studies
In affiliation with the University of Kansas, Center for East Asian Studies

Symposium Date: April 4, 2026
Symposium Location: Watson Library, Three West Reading Room.
Symposium Time: TBD
Format: In-person
Abstract Submission Date: January 16, 2026

The University of Kansas Graduate Scholars in East Asian Studies (GSEAS) cordially invites submissions from graduate students and upper-level undergraduates to the Asian Studies Research Exhibition, “Environmental and Economic Stability in Global Asia.” This spring symposium is a 2-day event (April 3 – 4, 2025) on the theme of “Environmental and Economic Stability in Global Asia” as part of the Center’s Title VI-funded programming. The first day of the symposium is organized around faculty panels, and the second day of the symposium is dedicated to the graduate student research exhibition.
In the last century, climate change and the global economy have become major concerns around the world, and especially in Asia. From combating the increase in natural disasters to trade relationships, the combined challenges of the climate crisis and economic instability require regionally informed strategies. This Exhibition will showcase how the responses across Asia to global (environmental?) changes, resource scarcity, energy demands, and market fluctuations have impacted not only communities and cultures but Global Asia as a whole. By examining the research conducted by Graduate Students, this Exhibition hopes to display the ways in which Asia has contributed to shaping a more secure and balanced future for both the environment and global economy.
We welcome any currently enrolled and recently graduated/upper-level undergraduate students to present their research and/or works of art at our Exhibition. There will be two sessions during the day. One where participants will present their posters, works of art, models, etc., to attendees as they ask questions about their projects and their relation to the theme. The other will be paper presentations. Submissions should offer original research related to the themes of environmental and economic stability throughout Asia, defined openly, throughout any time period, and from any discipline.
Presentation topics could include, but are not limited to:
● Inquiries on the concept of “Asia,” “Global Asia,” ecology, and economy,
● Response to environmental crises, climate change, and/or their history
● Trade industries and infrastructures
● Ecocriticism in literature, art, history, architecture, etc.
● Asia and the global economy.
● Trade routes (contemporary and historic)
Abstract Submission: Please fill out this form with your abstract of your paper/project (250-300 words), along with a short bio (100-200 words) of yourself (please indicate what type of piece) by the submission date. In your abstract, please briefly describe your research and its connection to our symposium topic, and indicate the type of project you will be submitting (e.g., research poster, painting, photographic series, Architectural model, etc.). Please include “Graduate Symposium” in your email title.
Direct all questions to gseas@ku.edu.

Please join us for a virtual information session regarding the Fulbright Scholarship program. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens. Please see their website for more details, and email umkcsgs@umkc.edu for an invitation to this online information session.

This information session will include:

• A program overview presented by Misty Vaughn, Manager of Nationally Competitive Awards, UMKC Career Services
• Introduction of the faculty panel
• Prompt questions from Dean Getz to the faculty panel
• Questions from the audience members

We've (re)launched the GWI's weekly virtual writing groups! 

• The Monday accountability group meets weekly from 6-7 pm, hosted by GWI GTA Angel Williams via RooLearning+. Meet with other graduate students to set goals together, discuss the process of writing, and hold each other accountable for meeting goals. Join when you are able (consistent attendance not required).

• The Wednesday working group meets weekly from 6-8 pm, hosted by GWI GTA Sarah Feldmann via RooLearning+. Meet with other graduate students to write together for two hours. This is a way to carve out writing time along with your fellow graduate writers. Join when you are able (consistent attendance not required).

Accessing GWI Writing Group sessions

How to Sign up for a GWI Writing Group session in advance:

• Log into RooLearning+ with your SSO credentials.
• Double check that “Writing Studio” is selected in the Support Centers list in the bottom left corner of the calendar display.
• Click on the tile for the GWI Writing Group session that you would like to attend to open the session information panel.
• Click the “Subscribe” button in the session information panel that appears on the right side of the calendar display. 

How to Join a GWI Writing Group session anytime throughout the duration of the session:

• Log into RooLearning+ with your SSO credentials on the scheduled day and time of the session.
• Click on the tile for the GWI Writing Group session to open the session information panel on the right side of the calendar display.
• Click the “Join the session” button in the session information panel.
• Confirm your device’s microphone and video permissions for the virtual session and click “Join.”

 GWI for the Academic and Academic-Aligned Job Market: New Module! 

The academic and academic-aligned job market season is in full swing, as is graduate and post-doc application season. To support your academic and professional goals at and beyond UMKC, the GWI has added a new Academic and Academic-Aligned Job MarketCanvas module.

We will continue adding resources to this and other GWI modules for application documents, Writing Teaching Philosophies and Writing Personal Statements. Send your suggestions for the application documents you would like to see resources for and/or share resources you found helpful via email to Annie at Annie.Lowe@umkc.edu!

As always, you can book an individual consultation for your application documents with a GWI team member (Annie, Angel, and Sarah) on RooLearning+!

UMKC Central can help students tackle financial and enrollment barriers!  As the one stop service center on campus, the team at UMKC Central can help with questions and concerns related to financial aid, scholarships, billing, enrollment, and records.

The office is located on the 1^st floor of the Administrative Center, room 120, and does accept walk-ins.  Students can schedule an in-person or virtual appointment through the UMKC Central Service Page in UMKC Connect.

Students are also welcome to call 816-235-6000 or email umkccentral@umkc.edu.

Office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm, except Wednesday, 9:00am – 4:30pm.

Looking for assistance with your resume or job search? Career Services is here to help! Visit umkc.joinhandshake.com to schedule your appointment.

You have access to many campus resources, such as the CARE team, Campus Recreation, Financial Aid, Career Services, University Libraries, and more. More information is available online.