Events in the Professional Development Series can help students evaluate and prepare for the range of career options open to master's- and PhD-prepared professionals. This series is designed to broaden graduate students’ career perspectives and develop competencies in communication, self-awareness, professional adaptability, leadership, and professionalism.
Programming is offered on a two-year cycle and change each semester; over the course of two years, the series includes opportunities to learn about career paths in each of the five major career sectors available to alumni of The Graduate School: academia, business, entrepreneurship, government, and nonprofit.
Spring 2019 Events
Careers beyond academia
Graduate students and postdocs interested in exploring career options in industry, government, and nonprofit can learn about opportunities in the Careers Beyond Academia series throughout the 2018-19 academic year. This series is offered every two years and is co-sponsored with the Duke Career Center and the Office of Postdoctoral Services.It alternates with the biannual Academic Job Search Series.
Visit the Careers Beyond Academia webpage for a complete listing of events.
Core Competencies
An Introduction to Your Professional Development at Duke: A Workshop for Master’s Students
Thursday, January 10, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Whether you’re a new master's student or about to finish your program, this workshop will help you familiarize yourself with the career and professional development resources, programs, and opportunities available at Duke and beyond. The workshop is open only to current master's students in The Graduate School. More information
Advanced Time Management for Graduate Students
Monday, January 14, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
This workshop will equip you with strategies to understand your strengths in managing short- and long-term goals. You will also learn ways to build new habits and break with old ones to ensure your success. More information
Pump Up Your Professionalism
Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Come to a fun, interactive and intimate session led by Certified Etiquette Trainer (CET) Ms. Sharon Hill. Learn essential networking skills such as the power of a handshake, the magic of eye contact, the secrets of small talk, and how to give and receive a business card. More information
An Introduction to Your Professional Development at Duke: A Workshop for Ph.D. Students
Wednesday, January 16, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm
Whether you’re a new PhD student or about to finish your program, this workshop will help you familiarize yourself with the career and professional development resources, programs, and opportunities available at Duke and beyond, including the new Duke OPTIONS tool. More information
Surviving Your Dissertation: Writing Groups and Other Survival Tools
Monday, January 28, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
This workshop will present useful strategies for structuring your writing life, including thinking about the role that writing groups can play in completing a major project in a timely, and even enjoyable, manner. More information
Improving Your Presentation Presence
Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
You spend a great deal of time preparing your presentation visuals and talking points. Do you invest the same preparation in your presentation presence--that is, the nonverbal components of your presentation like vocal quality, movement, and eye contact? In this interactive workshop, you'll learn strategies for projecting an effective presentation presence from Joy Javits, President of In the Public Eye: Effective Communication. More information
Showing Confidence in Oral Communication: An Interactive Workshop
Monday, February 4, 2019, 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Want to experience confidence that is truly felt, express yourself with clarity and conviction? Do you long to be engaging and engaged, curious, open, and persuasive? We will dedicate our interactive time together to these goals. In The Public Eye President Joy Javits will be your coach for this limited-enrollment workshop. More information
Take Your Teaching Skills Anywhere: Identifying Transferable Skills from your Teaching Experiences
Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
In this interactive workshop we will uncover how our teaching experiences are an ideal way to help potential employers understand the crucial skills we’ve learned in graduate school—skills that are transferable to a variety of careers beyond faculty positions. More information
Speed Networking with Duke Alumni
Whether you're interested in meeting professionals in industry, startup, government, or academia, you'll find leaders in these sectors among the members of The Graduate School's Board of Visitors. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet these members in a speed-networking context. More information
Taking Ownership of Your Professional Development, or What I Wish I'd Known when I Started My Ph.D.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
In this workshop, soon-to-graduate Ph.D. student Maria Carnovale shares three key strategies that can help you take ownership of your graduate education. More information
Fulbright Grants for Graduate Students: An Information Session
Thursday, March 21, 2019, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Get professional or research experience abroad for 6-12 months! Staff from Nationally Competitive Scholarships at Duke will tell you about all you can do around the world with a Fulbright and differentiate the various types of grants available. Come learn how Duke can offer support to help you develop your strongest application. More information
Courage for Introverts: How to Put Yourself Out There Without Selling Yourself Out
Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 9:30 to 11:00 am
If you have found that you hold your ideas —and yourself — back, join Caroline Korda Poole for an interactive workshop that will allow you to investigate the limiting thoughts and patterns that prevent you from presenting your ideas with confidence. More information
Cultivating a Culture of Mentoring
Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
The goal of the session is to empower members of the graduate student community to become partners in the mentoring process, making it a deeply rooted part of the Duke experience. More information
Trust Your Instincts: Intuition, Leadership, and Listening to the Body
Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am
If the world’s most successful people trust their intuition, what is it, and how can you tap into and trust yours as well? Join Caroline Korda Poole for an interactive and entertaining workshop on the art and science of trusting your intuition and inner guidance. More information
Failure: It's Good For You!
Tuesday, May 7, 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am
Join Caroline Korda Poole for a lively and interactive workshop to explore the hidden nature of failure. If you can learn to learn from your failures with compassion for yourself and others, you will be able to transform your life. More information
Know Thyself: An Introduction to ImaginePhD
Friday, May 17, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Spend an hour getting to know yourself better with ImaginePhD, a free online tool that helps you assess your skills and interests as well as examine your values. More information
Professional Development Progress Lunches
Tuesday, May 21, 1:00 to 2:00 pm | Tuesday, June 4, 12:00 to 1:00 pm | Tuesday, June 18, 12:00 to 1:00 pm
Tuesday, July 9, 12:00 to 1:00 pm | Tuesday, July 23, 12:00 to 1:00 pm | Tuesday, August 6, 12:00 to 1:00 pm
Summer is a wonderful time to make progress on your professional development goals. Whether your aspirations include updating your LinkedIn profile, starting your teaching portfolio, preparing faculty job application materials, conducting informational interviews, or researching career options, join our informal lunch gathering to share your progress and your questions.Join one or all six.
A Guide to Your Ph.D. Skill Development: A Workshop for the Duke Doctoral Academy
Friday, May 24, 11:45 am to 1:00 pm | Friday, May 31, 11:45 am to 1:00 pm
This workshop provides an opportunity to recognize the skills you have developed during your graduate (and postdoctoral) work, identify gaps, and find opportunities that can help you continue your professional development.
The Mentoring Relationship: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am
Do you ever question your role in your lab? Do you hesitate to address issues with your mentor? Do you wonder how to be successful during this step in your career? In this interactive session, learn how to navigate the mentoring relationship, including how to promote open communication, work more productively with your mentor, and get the most out of your training experience. More information
Presentation Skills Peer Feedback and Coaching: A Two-Part Series
Thursday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 30, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
What makes a presenter effective? Is it content, delivery, or visuals—or the combination of them all? In this two-part series, you’ll have the opportunity to work on your areas for greatest improvement in your presentations. Applications due Monday, June 17, 11:59 p.m. More information
Ph.D. Career Paths
In addition to the events below, please visit the Careers Beyond Academia website for even more opportunities.
Navigating the Academic Job Market as a First-Gen
Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Join us for a light breakfast and discussion on what it is like to be first-gen on the academic job market. More information
Alumni Lunch: Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
The Alumni Lunch is an opportunity for graduate students in the biological and biomedical sciences to meet distinguished and recent alumni in an informal setting. More information
Alumni Lunch: Humanities and Social Sciences
Thursday, April 4, 2019, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
The Alumni Lunch is an opportunity for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences to meet distinguished and recent alumni in an informal setting. More information
Alumni Lunch: Physical Sciences and Engineering
Friday, April 5, 2019, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
The Alumni Lunch is an opportunity for graduate students in the physical sciences and engineering to meet distinguished and recent alumni in an informal setting. More information
Past Events
- Fall 2018
- Spring 2018
- Fall 2017
- Spring 2017
- Fall 2016
- Summer 2016
- Spring 2016
- Fall 2015
- Spring 2015
- Fall 2014
- Spring 2014
- Fall 2013
- Summer 2013
Contact
Melissa Bostrom, PhD
Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development
Duke University Graduate School
melissa.bostrom@duke.edu