Graduate Student Resources
Career Engagement
Your Path Beyond Graduate School
Texas Education Career Engagement (TECE) partners with the Office of Career and Life Design (OCLD) to support all College of Education graduate and postdoctoral students with workshops, classes, other experiential learning opportunities, and one-on-one meetings. Virtual and in-person appointments are offered through both TECE and OCLD.
Career Resources for Graduate Students
Career Design Courses
Register for free, zero-credit career exploration courses offered by the Office of Career and Life Design. Each course is designed for graduate students and postdocs to explore career options and apply career research strategies in a supportive and motivating group setting.
STEM Course (Fall Semester)
Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (Spring Semester)
Career Transition Guides
These career transition guides are designed to help graduate students and postdocs learn more about a wider range of careers and how skills developed through advanced-degree training translate into different opportunities.
Professional Document Preparation
Resumes and Cover Letters – Learn how to create resumes and cover letters that highlight your graduate experience and skills and impress your prospective employer.
- Higher Education Job Materials Example
- Nonprofit Job Materials Example
- Consulting Job Materials Example
Academic Career Preparation (Sample CVs and Cover Letters) – Access resources to prepare application materials relevant to academic jobs.
Experiential Learning
CONNECT Program
CONNECT helps graduate students and community organizations work together to increase impact through better data and program evaluation practices. Sample projects include:
- Austin Independent School District: Developing an Interactive Version of the eCST-Service Provider Manual
- The Goodwill Excel Center: Examining Risk Factors Related to Student Retention and Graduation
- Young Invincibles: Mapping Campus Mental Health Resources in Texas
- Creative Action: Improving Teacher Evaluation for the OST Program
Graduate Archer Fellowship Program
The Graduate Archer Fellowship Program provides graduate students from across The University of Texas System with a unique opportunity to live, learn and intern in our nation’s capital during the summer.
Ph.D. Career Pathways
Ph.D. Career Pathways is a nine-month fellowship program for doctoral students in the arts and humanities to explore careers in public art and humanities, community outreach, program evaluation, writing, editing and more.
- Catalina Vasquez – Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Data Analyst, Ph.D. Student Higher Education Leadership and Policy
- Amanda Smith – Sol to Soul Harvest Foundation, Social Justice Research Analyst, Ph.D. Student Language and Literacy Studies
Competitions & Awards
Reimagining Professional Development Award – This award for graduate students and postdocs offers financial support for the production of programming, content or training resources addressing the career and professional development needs of their peers across campus.
Empower Your Pitch – Empower Your Pitch is an engaging, dynamic research communication contest. Alongside a comprehensive skill-development series, EYP is designed to equip participants with the strategies needed to effectively communicate complex ideas in just three minutes.
Career Exploration
ImaginePhD: For advanced degrees in the humanities, arts and social sciences – ImaginePhD is a free career planning tool for advanced degrees in the humanities and social sciences, featuring skills, interests and values assessments that introduce 165 different job families identified through national PhD career outcome data
Beyond the Professoriate: For advanced degrees in all disciplines – Beyond the Professoriate’s Career Training Platform helps graduate students, postdocs and PhDs successfully transition into academic or nonacademic careers. Through two programs of study (Academic Careers and Professional Careers), postdocs and doctoral students can explore career options and learn job search strategies.
MyIDP: For advanced degrees in the sciences – The myIDP website is a free, web-based career-planning tool designed for PhD students and postdocs in the sciences. It helps users assess their skills, interests and values, explore 20 scientific career paths and set strategic goals.
ChemIDP: For advanced degrees in the chemical sciences – ChemIDP is a free, web-based career-planning tool tailored for students and postdoctoral scholars in the chemical sciences. It offers self-paced activities to help users explore career options, identify necessary skills and set professional goals.
PHaSS-IDP: For advanced degrees interested in health-related careers – PHaSS-IDP is a free online career exploration and planning tool for graduate students and postdocs interested in health-related careers in the social sciences and some humanities.
InterSECT Job Simulations: For Ph.D. level humanists and scientists – Intersect is an online platform for PhD-level humanists and scientists to explore future career options through experiential projects. Job simulations offer insight into the specific, real-life duties of varying career paths.
Office of Career and Life Design
The Office of Career and Life Design serves as a central hub for resources, services and support so all graduate students and postdocs can excel in their work, build essential skills, maintain personal well-being and prepare for their future careers.
Address: Peter T. Flawn Academic Center (FAC) 2.236
Email: gradcareer@austin.utexas.edu
