1. Graduate

Professional Development

GEOG 695B: Professional Development

Fridays 1:30–3:00
ENR2 S495 (sessions will also be available via Zoom)

Dr. Connie Woodhouse
Office: ENR2 S526
Email: conniew1@arizona.edu

Seminar Description

This course is designed to support SGDE and MDP graduate students in their current work and as they move towards future careers. It is offered through a series of workshops scheduled approximately 4 times a semester (schedule varies to accommodate conferences, SAGA meetings, and other key events). Some sessions are designed for graduate students at any level. Others are specifically addressed to students at different stages in their programs.  Sessions are led by a variety of different faculty members.  They are interactive and discussion-oriented.

Session topics include:

  • Proposal writing
  • Publishing (submitting manuscripts and the review process)
  • Presentation practice (and conference participation strategies)
  • Finding a job (academic and non-academic, including interview skills)
  • Writing a CV

Other topics will be in response to student needs (e.g., TA and RA issues, ethics in the classroom or in research, work/family life balance). SAGA meetings will be one venue for determining student needs each semester.  Graduate students are also asked to provide feedback on topics of interest at the start of the fall semester via a survey.

Registration & Credit

Credit is optional, but students who participate in at least six sessions are eligible for 1 unit of graduate credit for 695B. See Elizabeth Cordova (elizabec@arizona.edu) for registration procedures.

Fall 2022 Schedule 

September 9: Graduate Student Empowerment (Graduate student-lead panel)

During this interactive, graduate-student lead panel, join the discussion on how to deal with the ups and downs of life as a graduate student, including work/life balance, mental health issues, working with and articulating your needs to your advisor, and more

September 30: Funding for Research (Beth Stahmer, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Institute (SBSRI))

Beth Stahmer, Director of SBSRI, will provide information on identifying funding for your research.  She will cover the different types of funding mechanisms, funding sources (internal and external), how to search funding databases, and the variety of other resources (including those for international students) available. Beth’s presentation will be tailored to the needs and interests of SGDE and MDP students.

October 28: Your Professional Presence (Panel of faculty and grads)

An important aspect of the development of your graduate student career is highlighting your professional presence. A panel of faculty and graduate students will cover why your professional presence is important at this stage, as well as information on curriculum vitae and resumes (and how they are different), developing a grad student web sites, and using social media to develop your presence.  This is an overview session but if there is interest in hands-on workshops in any of these areas, those can be arranged.

November 18: Institutional Literacy (Lead by Dugan Meyer with panelists TBA)

Join the first of two sessions (the second will be in the spring) that will discuss issues including the changing landscape of higher education, graduate student and faculty governance, statewide issues affecting higher education, the ethics of publishing, and more.

Spring 2023 Topics (tentative, to be scheduled):

  • Non-academic jobs
  • Preparing for field work
  • Doing collaborative research
  • Institutional literacy
  • DEI workshop series