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Start a graduate student group!

Got an event or activity that you think other graduate students might want to get involved in? Talk to the MGA about it!

We can help you get your idea off the ground. Proposed activities and events can be:

  • academic
  • business & enterprise
  • creative, media & performance
  • faith & spirituality
  • international & cultural
  • physical activity, sports & games
  • campaigning & social justice
  • professional development
  • representation & inclusion
  • special interest
  • sustainability & the environment
  • welfare & wellbeing

Any Monash University graduate student can set up a Grad Group. To talk through the benefits of being a grad group, find out what grant opportunities there are and discuss the affiliation process, feel free to book in with the Grad Groups team via email mga-gradgroups@monash.edu to get started.

MGA Graduate Group Grant Streams

Seminar Organiser Grant

The Seminar Organiser Grant is designed to help graduate students who want to organise a small event to bring together students from their area to enhance their academic studies. The MGA will fund up to $300 towards your seminar, which you can put towards catering for your event, or even perhaps a gift to a prominent speaker.

More information:

  • The MGA will work out the grant based on a per-capita calculation on expected attendance, to a maximum of $300 per application.
  • The MGA will fund one application per department per semester – $600 per year.
  • To fund events, the MGA will make a donation of the grant amount to your department. As such, we require a staff member to verify details of your application.

LINK: Organiser grant procedure

Requirements:

Conference Organiser Grant

The Conference Organiser Grant is designed to help Monash graduate students who want to organise a conference in their discipline to bring together peers to share their work. The MGA will fund up to $4,000 towards your conference, which you can put towards things such as catering, organising presenter prizes or booking a venue.

More information:

  • The MGA will work out the grant based on a per-capita and duration of conference calculation on expected attendance, to a maximum of $4,000 per application.
  • The MGA will fund one application per department per year.
  • To fund events, the MGA will make a donation of the grant amount to your department. As such, we require a staff member to verify details of your application.

LINK: Organiser grant procedure

Requirements:

Departmental Group Grant

The Departmental Group Grant is designed to support social activities run by Monash graduate students, for Monash graduate students, within their department. Grants of up to $4,000 per annum are available to Groups, dependant on the group size and planned activities.

More information:

The Departmental Group Grant requires graduate students to sign an agreement to spend the grant only on events which fall within the Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) regulations, within the year in which it is allocated. Grants will be provided as a lump sum donation to a departmental cost code, unless other arrangements are made.

LINK: Group Grant procedure

Requirements:

Special Interest Group Grant

The MGA Special Interest Group Grant is designed for graduate students with similar interests to come together and organise events. Grants are available to Monash graduate students upon application for both one-off events and ongoing group activities.

More information:

Special Interest Group Grant has a similar procedure to the Departmental Group Grant. However, the initial group contact and consult can occur at any time during the year, and is not restricted to the funding round application dates. The initial consult and funding for the first event will be a trial of the viability of the Group, or will result in a referral to an appropriate staff or committee member to help you plan your idea. Group grants allocation is at the discretion of the MGA, and is not guaranteed on submission of an application form.

LINK: Group Grant procedure

Requirements:

SPHPM International Students Group on a Philip Island trip where they visited a farm, a chocolate factory and saw the penguins.

Are you looking for goodie bags or door prizes for your event, seminar or conference?

From time to time, the MGA donates merchandise items for student-led events, seminars and conferences. Due to the high level of demand, the MGA can’t accommodate all requests, but if you put in your request at least 6 weeks in advance, we will endeavour to cater to your event. Donations are limited to one per graduate student group per year.

Sounds like something you need for your next event? Discuss your event details with mga-gradgroups@monash.edu

Monash Robotics Team conducting a mindfulness morning tea with a smart robot.

Graduate Groups Regulations

The objective of the Regulations is to provide support for Monash University graduate students who wish to form or belong to a group of students with similar interests. These Regulations are intended to formalise the relationship between an unaffiliated group of graduate students and the MGA, so that the MGA can offer support as well as governance to all MGA Graduate Groups.

View our Graduate Groups Regulations.

Lunchtime poster showcase during the 2022 Postgraduate Engineering Conference. Students were able to submit their posters for peer and staff review. This particular event saw over 200 attendees from staff, students and industry.

The MGA team

Got a question or request about anything at all? Get in contact with one of our staff members – we’d love to hear from you. Alternatively, drop by the MGA office at Clayton or Caulfield so we can help!

Meet your current elected representatives

Curious to know who’s representing you at the moment? Get to know your elected representatives, what they do and how you can get involved.

Work for the MGA

The MGA employs Monash graduate students to fill the receptionist roles at the Clayton and Caulfield offices. When a vacancy arises we advertise the position through our email newsletter and on our website.

The Monash Graduate Association (MGA) is the representative body for all graduate research and coursework students enrolled at Monash University. So, what sets us apart from the University services? The MGA is an independent, not-for-profit association governed by graduate students, for graduate students. Our primary aim is to be there for you! If you can’t find what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our four Australian campuses stand and their continuing connection to the land on which we live and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.