Professional Development Policy & Application

All staff are encouraged to pursue professional development activities to increase their job skills and knowledge for their current careers. In addition to granting release time when appropriate and possible, the Office of Human Resources provides a limited budget to help cover the costs of professional development activities, including: 

• Conferences 
• Seminars 
• Career and job-related courses and workshops 

SEAS will make every effort to cover travel-related costs for job-related training and conferences in accordance with the University’s travel policy. In general, reimbursement for out-of-town conferences will cover reasonable transportation, housing, and conference registration fees (at the member rate) and funding will be approved for the most reasonable transportation rates available. In accordance with the University’s reimbursement policy, receipts will be required to document all approved expenses. Staff members are encouraged to take advantage of lower early registration fees whenever possible. 

Application Instructions:

To request funding for a professional development activity, please complete the Application for Professional Development Support. Once completed, please send your application to professionaldevelopmentfund@seas.harvard.edu. The application should be submitted no later than the 1st of the month preceding the event (e.g., if a conference is held in January, the application should be submitted by no later than December 1st). Please do not incur any expenses prior to the approval of your professional development activity.  

If you have any questions, please contact: professionaldevelopmentfund@seas.harvard.edu.  

Application Criteria:

• Application Frequency: Multiple, individual applications in a fiscal year, or in consecutive fiscal years, may not always be prioritized for approval. Approval could also be dependent upon volume and variability of other requests received. 
• Budget: Approvals are subject to fund availability.
• Justification: Request aligns with current role, development trajectory, and team goals.  
• Knowledge Share: Doing this with colleagues, teams, and managers where relevant is encouraged, but not required.  
• Performance: Must be in good standing.  
• Tenure: Applicant must have completed their Orientation and Review Period.

Additional Considerations:

• Reward and Recognition: This program is a reward that provides skill building and growth opportunities and is considered an investment in the applicant’s development.
• Criteria: Please ensure application criteria (e.g., job, development trajectory related) are met prior to seeking or providing endorsement and support. Exams, certifications, and licenses are not generally covered. 
• Equity: Applicants who have been funded in multiple cycles or consecutive years may be de-prioritized where other priorities supersede or where there are others who have not yet had an opportunity to benefit from the funding.  
• Other Options: We encourage exploration and utilization of lower or no cost options available to accomplish learning needs beyond external offerings (i.e., virtual, CWD, LinkedIn Learning) where applicable.