PhD Students

If you’re in a PhD program at MIT, you are an exceptional researcher and scholar. With your deep knowledge and skills set, there are no limits to what you can achieve. When you can do so much, narrowing your options and making decisions about what you want to do and where you want to go can be daunting. We’re here to help. Visit CAPD for a one-on-one conversation and address your questions with an advisor, use our resources to learn new skills like networking, and join our workshops to help you refine your job documents and search strategies. Whether you decide to pursue a career in academe, government, non-profit, or industry CAPD is ready to support you.

two women in office setting

Career Appointments

Schedule a one-on-one career advising appointment to discuss any career questions you might have. All of our advisors are trained and experienced in working with PhDs. We can help you with exploration and planning, job/internship searches, application materials, interviews, salary negotiations, and any other questions or concerns.

We’re here to support you wherever you are in your career journey. Have questions about PhD career advising? Contact Alexis Boyer, PhD; Assistant Director, Graduate Student Career Services.

Instructor helping student with project

Graduate Professional Development

MIT’s comprehensive collection of professional development opportunities are designed to help graduate students develop skills and knowledge valuable for any career path you decide to follow, within and beyond academe.

Graduate student professional development is skills-based training complementary to your discipline-based coursework, focusing on seven competency areas: career advancement, communication, interpersonal development, leadership and mentoring, personal development, social responsibility, and teaching.

Student working machinery with instructor observing

Career Exploration for PhDs

Have you ever wondered what’s out there for someone with your advanced skills and training? How do you find out what all the options are for PhDs? How did your mentors and advisors start their careers? Apply your researcher’s mind to career exploration and find answers to your most pressing questions about PhD careers. CAPD has what you need to start exploring career possibilities and forge your own path.

Person at booth talking to presenters

Workshops and Events

Take advantage of all MIT has to offer by participating in Institute career fairs and CAPD workshops and events tailored for PhDs. Refine your job documents, discover ways to develop your professional skills before you hit the job market, or learn how to leverage the power of your MIT network.

2022 Veterans’ Day Celebration

News & Articles
Published on October 7, 2022

The MIT Student Veterans Association and MIT Student Veteran Success invites the entire MIT community to the 2022 Veterans Day Celebration, to honor the institute’s Veteran community, to come together, to build camaraderie, and hear from local civic and military …

By Amanda Cornwall
Amanda Cornwall Graduate Student Professional Development
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Class Action First Gen Summit – November 5, 2022

News & Articles
Published on October 6, 2022

The First Gen Summit serves as a site for the meeting of the minds. First-gen students and their allies come together to identify problems, discuss grassroots solutions, and share what’s working on their campuses. First and foremost, we want to …

By Kendel Jester
Kendel Jester Career Advisor
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Professional correspondence guidelines (with samples)

Resources

Whether you are sending a follow-up email, requesting a new interview date, negotiating aspects of an offer package, or declining an offer, communicate effectively in writing to leave a good impression and set the tone for mutual respect. Review these …

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Student loan forgiveness information from Student Financial Services

News & Articles
Published on September 30, 2022

MIT’s Student Financial Services (SFS) put together the following information about President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program.

Quick facts about Biden’s loan debt relief

FTC Warns borrowers of scammers after Biden’s loan cancellation announcement
Scammers are attempting to capitalize on …

By Kendel Jester
Kendel Jester Career Advisor
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Understanding Advising: Exploring the Advisor and Advisee Relationship

News & Articles
Published on September 28, 2022

October 13th 1-2pm Virtual Session

Advising is critical to graduate student success. But there is still ambiguity in the literature on higher education and the various advising experiences that students have. Through this panel participants will learn about a new …

By Elsie Otero
Elsie Otero Assistant Director, Graduate Student Professional Development
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Featured Resources

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Academic Job Sites

Chronicle of Higher Education: https://jobs.chronicle.com/ Higher Ed Jobs: https://www.higheredjobs.com/ HERC: https://main.hercjobs.org/ Nature: https://www.nature.com/naturecareers Science: https://www.sciencemag.org/careers Akatech: https://akatech.tech/ UK job board: …
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Application Materials for a Faculty Job Search

The following materials are commonly requested.  We encourage you to schedule an appointment with a career advisor to review your …

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Academic Interviews (Faculty Positions)

Interviews for faculty positions often include two rounds:

First round – Phone or Video  (20-40 minutes)

This is an initial …

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Academic Job Offers

If you receive an academic job offer, express interest, and then take the time to carefully assess whether the offer …

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PhD Career Pathways

PhD Career Pathways

The Council of Graduate Schools’ PhD Career Pathways project is a multi-phase initiative to improve doctoral education through data collection, information-sharing, university …

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