Plan Your Journey Preview
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This guide allows you to preview Duke's professional development planning tool for Ph.D. students. If you are a Duke user, please use the NetID login button at the top right to create your professional development roadmap.
Find search tools and guidelines for graduate student funding opportunities as outlined in this blog post. And to find fellowship and grant opportunities to apply for, use The Graduate School’s online Find Funding tool
Learn about fellowships offered through the Nationally Competitive Scholarships group at the Duke Office of University Scholars and Fellows.
Attend the workshop on Writing from the Reader’s Perspective with Dr. George Gopen. This popular multi-part series is focused on persuasive writing, i.e., for grant proposals, and fills up quickly when advertised.
To gain experience in writing grant proposals, collaborate with colleagues and faculty from my department or program to apply for a Professional Development Grant from The Graduate School.
Consult faculty and advanced graduate students in my department or program for coursework and resources relevant to my discipline. Participate in department-level student seminars, or start one for my department.
Attend conferences in my discipline to see successful models of presentations in my discipline. Consider presenting at a graduate student conference to learn the conventions.
If relevant, enroll in English for International Students courses focused on oral communication.
Enroll in GS 750: Fundamentals of College Teaching. Academic oral presentations are one of many topics addressed in the course. Due to demand, this course is open only to students enrolled in the Certificate in College Teaching.
Speak with my advisor, my director of graduate studies (DGS), and/or advanced graduate students to learn about the teaching opportunities that are available to me through my department.
Participate in departmental or program training and workshops on teaching, if available.
Participate in College Teaching Workshops to learn about topics relevant to teaching, learning, instructional technology and issues in higher education and faculty life.
Attend workshops from Duke Learning Innovation to learn about teaching with technology and to get started with Duke-specific tools.
Ask colleagues who are serving as TAs or faculty members for permission to observe them teaching.
Ask my faculty mentor for the opportunity to guest lecture in his or her class.
If relevant, sign up to tutor undergraduates from my department.
Enroll in a Graduate School course on college teaching.
Participate in the Certificate in College Teaching (CCT): The CCT facilitates pedagogical training, a reflective teaching practice including peer observation, and development of an online teaching portfolio.
To learn how to create a professional profile and manage a successful presence on LinkedIn, consult the Career Center’s tools (within Career and Professional Development Fundamentals).
Attend workshops focused on building communication skills; find upcoming opportunities on The Graduate School's professional development calendar.
Apply to participate in the annual GradX talks, part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week. The TED-inspired talks focus on a research question in approximately five minutes. Accepted presenters can join a workshop on preparing for the presentation.
To showcase my research interests and accomplishments, add content to my Scholars@Duke profile. Find instructions for making updates on the Scholars Support page.
Attend PhD Plus seminars on communication topics.
Attend events offered through the Forum for Scholars and Publics to see models of scholars sharing their research with a broad audience.
Attend the Graduate Etiquette Workshop and Luncheon in The Graduate School’s Professional Development Series to develop professional communication skills in a dining setting.
The Career Center can help me identify strategies for building my communication skills. I can make an individual advising appointment or visit drop-in advising for a brief conversation.
To demonstrate my communication skills in writing for a broad audience, write for The Graduate School’s Professional Development Blog. Learn about how to become a contributor.
Join a Toastmasters chapter to practice oral communication skills and receive feedback. Look for Duke-based chapters, or join a Triangle-based open chapter (with no membership restrictions) to combine networking with oral communication practice.
If relevant, enroll in English for International Students courses.
Attend Responsible Conduct of Research forums to learn about conventions and expectations for ethical research conduct in the United States.
Attend Duke International Student Center (DISC) programming.
Attend workshops focused on building communication skills; find upcoming opportunities on The Graduate School's professional development calendar.
Seek out opportunities to practice communication in English through tutoring, serving as a TA, or volunteering in the community.
Use JobX to search for on- and off-campus employment opportunities and Duke Groups to connect with social networks that could help me enhance my communication skills.
Consult faculty and advanced graduate students in my department or program for coursework and resources (including books) relevant to my discipline.
Write reports regularly to document my research progress. This regular reflection will improve my writing overall and make the writing process easier.
Start a professional blog focused on research and graduate school. Write “how-to” guides, share solutions to problems, or share my thinking about complex issues.
Organize a journal club or reading group to discuss writing style, format, and structure. Become familiar with leading journals in my field to see how scholars craft journal-worthy arguments and articles.
Join a writing group to share writing and feedback regularly with my colleagues.
Enroll in an academic course such as BIO701/UPGEN711 Succeeding in Graduate School in the Biological Sciences
Explore the range of courses and workshops to support academic writing on campus.
If relevant, enroll in English for International Students courses focused on academic writing.
Consider how I might incorporate communication strategies across disciplines. Take classes in other disciplines or schools, or join a Bass Connections project team in an area of interest to gain an interdisciplinary research experience.
Make an appointment for an individual writing consultation at the TWP Writing Studio.
Consult faculty and advanced graduate students in my department or program for coursework and resources relevant to my discipline.
Attend conferences in my discipline to see successful models of presentations in my discipline. Consider presenting at a graduate student conference to learn the conventions.
Read resources such as Duke Learning Innovation’s handout on avoiding Death by Powerpoint and the book The Exceptional Presenter by Timothy Koegel.
Take GS 760: College Teaching and Visual Communication to learn graphic and web design for teaching, including design of online teaching portfolios. The course is limited to students who are post-prelim. (Note: Enrollment preference for this class is given to participants in the Certificate in College Teaching program. Consider enrolling in CCT first.)