Professional Development Curriculum
For Graduate Students in the Department of English
- Professional Development by Semester
- Document Submission Deadlines and Reminders
- Supplementary Materials
The purpose of this proposed Professional Development Curriculum is to make students from the English graduate programs as competitive as possible for doctoral program admissions and job opportunities. At a time when just 50% of new PhD recipients in English find tenure-track jobs and just 20% of all applications to doctoral programs in English are successful, we must in our graduate program find ways to increase the likelihood that our students will be considered strong contenders for available jobs and spaces in doctoral programs. We can achieve this by ensuring that graduates from our programs are as prepared as possible to meet the challenges of the profession.
Successful completion of the PDC is a requirement of our MA and PhD programs in Literature, Creative Writing, and Linguistics. The Associate Director of Graduate Studies oversees that program, which includes attendance at the schedule of workshops below as well as submission to the Director of Graduate Studies of the documents described as “Evidence of Professional Progress” at the end of each semester’s curriculum. To make the burden of these submissions easier to manage, they are tied to (and submitted with):
- GPTI Renewal form, for MA students
- The First-Year/Annual Review form, for doctoral students. Periodically the Director and Associate Director of Graduate Studies will meet to determine whether students are making satisfactory progress through the PDC requirements.
Spring 2012 PDC Workshops
For First-Year Students
- 26 January - Diversity on Campus, In the Classroom
- 9 February - Professional Organizations and Conferences
- 1 March - Book Reviews
- 8 March - Knowing the Journals in Your Field
- 29 March - Choosing a PhD Program (MAs only)
- 12 April - What To Do on Your Summer Vacation
For Second-Year Students
- 19 January - Searching for Employment in Non-academic Settings
- 2 February - Creating a Website for Your Teaching and Professional Activities
- 16 March - Applying for Grants and Alternative Funding Sources
Checklist of Professional Accomplishments by the end of 2nd Year in the Program
- Complete and updated copy of Curriculum Vitae
- Conference abstract and, hopefully, evidence of conference presentation
- Article-length essay submitted for scholarly publication and, hopefully, evidence of acceptance for publication
- Sample book review essay (or equivalent short work) developed in English 5390
- Evidence of effective professional communications reflected in cover letters and subsequent correspondence with conference organizers and journal editors
- Teaching Portfolio reflecting evidence of teaching experience and excellent during first two years in the program.