Doctoral students in the College of Hospitality may request up to $5,000 in research funds to support their dissertation project. Funding decisions are based on the strength of the proposal and supporting materials. Please note: funding is not guaranteed, and students may receive less than the maximum amount.
Eligibility Requirements
To apply, Hospitality PhD students must:
- Have passed their Dissertation Proposal Defense Exam.
- Be in good academic standing with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (includes all HOS coursework).
- Be currently enrolled in the doctoral program, either part-time or full-time.
- Submit all required documents within 45 days of passing the Proposal Defense Exam.
Process to Request Dissertation Funding
- Complete the Dousign Dissertation Research Fund Pre-Authorization form.
- Below is the .pdf of the form, so you can see what are allowable expenses.
- The proposal will be reviewed by the Hospitality Office of Graduate Programs, the PhD Program Coordinator, and the Associate Dean of Research, International Programs and Graduate Affairs.
- Students will receive a decision within 30 business days once documents are received.
- All funds awarded must be spent within the semester they are awarded.
- See the full list of policy and procedures for Dissertation Research Request Funds.
Allowable Expenses:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Data Collection & Analysis | Surveys, participant incentives, outsourced data prep/analysis |
| Marketing | Printing, advertising, promotional materials for data collection |
| Software & Equipment | Licenses or equipment used solely for research (must be pre-approved by College IT; UNLV retains ownership) |
| Travel | Related to data collection only (not for presenting at conferences); must include justification |
| General | Shipping, transcription, photocopying, storage, and supplies |
Approved Dissertation Research Funds Expenditures
Hospitality PhD students who receive approval for dissertation research funds must work with the Hospitality Graduate Programs Office and Josephine Ishou (josephine.ishou@unlv.edu) and Veronica Becerra (veronica.becerra@unlv.edu) in the Hospitality Business Office prior to incurring any expenses to learn the university policies to purchase any services or pay invoices.
Students who do not follow the university guidelines for expenses incurred for their research may be responsible for covering the expenses with their own funds.
