Graduate Student Professional Development

Discover resources, connect with mentors, dive deeper into MIT’s 7 professional development competencies, and find out about upcoming events and opportunities.

Graduate professional development is skills-based training complementary to your academic coursework that will augment any career path you decide to follow, within and beyond academe.

MIT provides professional development resources to help you deepen your skills and knowledge in seven areas: career advancement, communication, interpersonal skills, leadership and mentoring, personal development, social responsibility, and teaching. Honing these competencies will give you the confidence to thrive and contribute as a researcher, educator, industry leader, and citizen.

 

Individual Development Plans (IDPs)

Individual Development Plans, or IDPs, are a key professional development tool used within both academia and industry to establish priorities, set goals, and track progress. You can create your own tailored Individual Development Plan to guide you in self-assessment, exploration, goal setting, implementation, recording milestones, and reflection.

By creating and using an IDP,  you can optimize your PhD years by planning experiences that will help you build the competencies and skills you need not only to finish your degree but to keep rising throughout your career.

Flagship Programs

Graduate Students of Color Mentoring Circles

The Graduate Students of Color Mentoring Circles connect students with alumni who provide culturally relevant perspectives on academic and industry careers. The next program will run in April 2024.  Interested graduate students, email Elsie Otero at eotero@mit.edu.

The Path of Professorship

This 2-day workshop for MIT graduate and post-doctoral women provides information about academic scientific careers and the application process.


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Professional development certificates for PhDs and postdocs

MIT offers 2 new professional development certificates to help graduate students and postdocs fast track and focus their growth in two essential areas: mentoring and grant writing.

Faculty Job Search Series (FJSS)

The Faculty Job Search Series (FJSS) supports graduate students and postdocs who are preparing for the faculty job market.  The program brings together expertise from around the Institute, including faculty, CAPD, the Writing and Communication Center, the Teaching and Learning Lab, the OGE, and the Engineering Communication Labs. 

Build a strong application informed by experts across the Institute via overviews, faculty panels, deep dives, and hands-on-workshops aligned with the timeline of the faculty job search.


MIT Alumni Advisors Hub

Think of the worldwide community of MIT alumni as a vast and renewable resource that you, as an MIT graduate student, are invited to tap and leverage.  Using the Alumni Advisors Hub is one of the most powerful ways there is to augment your technical training. There’s no better source of information and wisdom to inform your journey than the scholars and professionals who have been where you are now, and gone on to discover, teach, influence, and lead with excellence in the world beyond the Infinite Corridor.

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Resource Library

Ready to dive in? The Graduate Professional Development Resource Library is a curated collection of articles, web resources, podcasts, books, and more.

Click to view the resource library

Dissertation Dispatch: The Grad School Survival Guide

Graduate school can be hard. And during difficult moments, advice from peers who have walked a similar path can make you feel less alone. That’s why the Graduate Professional Development team is putting together a “Survival Guide” of real advice, …

By Tara Thakurta
Tara Thakurta Graduate Community Fellow
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Want to learn more about the 4th Annual MIT Research Slam?

Come by the info session on Tuesday, February 6th from 3:30 – 5:00 pm on Zoom!

What is the MIT Research Slam and why should you compete in it? Come find out and get excited! See Slam presentations from previous …

By Tara Thakurta
Tara Thakurta Graduate Community Fellow
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Redefine success, identify challenges, and flip failure this new year!

Life comes with its fair set of challenges. The goal of building resilience is to equip yourself to weather life’s challenges as they arise. Much of that work involves redefining what success and failure mean and finding ways to use …

By Tara Thakurta
Tara Thakurta Graduate Community Fellow
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Writing Together Online

Make your New Year’s resolution: write regularly with Writing Together Online during IAP 2024

Date: Mon, Jan 8th through Thu, Feb 1st

Time: 8-9:30am or 9:30-11am
Location: by Zoom (pre-register to receive the link to connect)

Register: https://forms.gle/2kDDymivpSHPP5QS9

Make your New …

By Amanda Cornwall
Amanda Cornwall Graduate Student Professional Development
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Writing and Communication Center IAP Workhop Series: Styling Your Academic Writing

Styling Your Academic Writing (5-session series)

Date: Jan 10th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th
Time: 12-1pm
Location: by Zoom (pre-register to receive the link to connect)

Register: https://forms.gle/zftHcRToe4FwGXnM6

This series will offer diverse and creative methods for styling writing. We will …

By Amanda Cornwall
Amanda Cornwall Graduate Student Professional Development
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Lily Liu

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Featured Profiles

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Lily Liu

Student
  • PhD Student, gwaMIT Co-Chair
Meet Lily >
  • Senior Lecturer, Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program
Meet David >

Diana Chien

Alumni, Partner
  • Program Director, School of Engineering Communication Lab
Meet Diana >

Sean Clarke

Alumni, Partner
  • Communication Instructor + Biotech Liaison
Meet Sean >