Academic and Professional Skills
People
Course director
Description
Through experiential learning, guided workshops and goal-setting techniques, the seminar will provide (1) support in fulfilling dissertation requirements in a timely manner, (2) skills and tools for getting most out of their time as doctoral students, (3) guidance for building a competitive job market profile, and (4) resilience-building, stress management and self-leadership skills for mastering the doctoral program and their professional future. In addition, this seminar will help build cohort relationships and develop students’ abilities to collaborate with other scholars.
Objectives
This seminar will offer pre-professional training on topics of interest to Ph.D. students who will be pursuing academic or non-academic careers.
Teaching mode
In presence
Learning methods
Portfolio
Students will collect each sessions’ handouts and worksheets in a course portfolio. Each seminar will contain workshop elements / assignments that will also be added to this folder (e.g., research philosophy statement, elevator pitch, job talk assessments, etc.). In addition, students will create dissertation goals and action steps for themselves, write about their progress in their portfolios, and discuss their progress and challenges at each course session. The final portfolio will be turned in at the end of the course as the completion requirement.
Seminar Schedule
| Date | Topics |
| Day 1 | Goal setting and time management in academia: Finding your purpose, creating a mission and delineating your goals |
| Day 2 | How to get funding for research you love: Asking big questions, framing your research, searching for grants |
| Day 3 | Making the most of professional conferences: Presentation skills, your “elevator pitch,” and effective networking |
| Day 4 | Sharpening your academic profile: Three pillars that make you stand (out) |
| Day 5 | Getting ready for the academic job market: Application materials, job negotiation skills, and tips for survival |
| Day 6 | Building a career outside academia |
| Day 7 | Understanding and learning self-leadership skills |
| Day 8 | Resilience and stress management during your Ph.D. (and beyond) |
Examination information
Portfolio = 100% of the final grade
Education
- PhD programme in Communication Sciences, Lecture, Elective, 1st year
