PhD Program in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education

Prior Authorization Required: To qualify for travel reimbursement, students must fill out a Travel Authorization Form with the program secretary (either in person or over the telephone) at least 3 weeks prior to the requested travel (4 weeks prior to international travel). No authorizations will be accepted through email. After the authorization is completed and processed, the student will be notified by email from the program secretary if the request is approved. All University travel must be approved prior to travel. This is a University requirement that also extends your insurance during travel. Each travel destination is processed on a separate authorization form and each destination has a separate approval. Authorizations and approvals will not be combined.

Reimbursement Requests: Reimbursement will not be given for travel that has not been authorized. All students requesting reimbursement must submit a copy of the email authorization approval (sent to them by the program secretary) along with the travel receipts. Receipts must be original (not copies) and contain the amount, the form of payment, and the name of the student requesting reimbursement. Save all receipts that may be pertinent to your travel (airfare, hotel, conference registration, parking, taxi/shuttle, etc.) Submit your receipts, travel authorization approval email, travel reimbursement worksheet, conference agenda, and Airfare Equivalency Worksheet (if applicable) to the CITE Program Secretary within 2 weeks following your return from the conference. A delay in submitting receipts (over 2 weeks) requires a written explanation of why the receipts are late and could result in not receiving reimbursement so please make sure you submit your receipts promptly with your attached Travel Reimbursement Worksheet. Do not include credit card statements with your receipts unless we request them.

Note--Driving VS Flying: If you prefer to drive to a conference rather than fly, please complete the Airfare Equivalency Worksheet prior to your travel. To acquire an airfare estimate, contact Passageways at 517-353-9898 or 800-684-7384. The University will now only accept quotes from Passageways. Submit this equivalency sheet with your receipts when requesting reimbursement. Keep in mind that if flying is cheaper than driving, MSU will only authorize reimbursement to a maximum of the amount estimated for flying (even if driving was more expensive).

Note--Shared Expenses: If you plan to share travel expenses with colleagues, please get separate receipts. If you cannot get separate receipts for a shared expense, all people seeking reimbursement from a shared receipt must submit their reimbursement requests with documentation showing the expenses that were shared, with whom they were shared, and how the shared expenses were paid. This will include copies of receipts, copies of personal checks, and documentation of any cash that changed hands to pay the shared expenses. Please contact the program secretary prior to expense sharing for a full explanation of how to properly document payment of shared expenses.

Note--Use Your Own Credit Card: The University will only reimburse receipts that you paid. Example: If you submit an airfare receipt that your friend arranged and paid for with his/her credit card and this credit card appears on the airfare receipt with the friend’s name as the purchaser, you cannot be reimbursed for the purchase.

Note--Example Of Perfect Receipt: A perfect airfare receipt includes the travelers name, the amount, the itinerary of travel with cities, dates and times, and the form of payment along with the last 4 digits of a credit card charge. The perfect hotel receipt shows the amount due, the amount paid, and the new balance displaying zero. The perfect conference registration fee receipt includes the registrant name, the amount for registration, and confirmation that the fee was paid. Often included with this confirmation is conference agenda and if any fee was charged for a special dinner. If you will be seeking reimbursement for meals, you will need to submit this agenda with receipts to prove that meals were (or were not) included with your conference registration fee. Meal receipts are usually not needed because the University reimburses a daily per diem amount for meals. The only exception to this would be a dinner meeting that would require pre-approval by the department and rarely applies to CITE travel. Please contact the Doctoral Program Secretary if you have any questitons about what an appropriate receipt should contain or when it is needed.

Note--Use Of A University Vehicle: The University Transportation Services department has vehicles that students can reserve for university business. To reserve a university vehicle for travel to a conference, you will need to complete the Non-Employee Student Driver Authorization form located at http://www.ctlr.msu.edu/Download.aspx?id=RiskManagement. Submit this form to the program secretary at least 60 days prior to the conference travel along with the travel pre-authorization form. At least 30 days prior to the travel, contact the program secretary to ensure that the authorizations have been approved and to arrange for vehicle pickup.

Note--Non-Reimbursement University Travel: When students travel for research or other activities related to MSU but are not being reimbursed for the travel, they are still required to file the pre-authorization travel form. This travel form insures the student during travel.

Application Forms

• Comprehensive Exam Option 1 (PDF)
• Comprehensive Exam Option 1 Sample Questions (PDF)
  
• Comprehensive Exam Option 2 (PDF)