The Graduate School at the University of Notre Dame has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) for participation in the PhD Career Pathways Project. Supported by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Science Foundation (NSF), Notre Dame joins 28 other universities in a pilot study that will track the career paths of PhD alumni in STEM and the Humanities over a three-year period.
Among other benefits, the study presents an opportunity for the Graduate School to evaluate career trends of its PhD alumni, to increase awareness of potential careers for current students, and to diversify and strengthen professional development approaches based on a vast pool of aggregate data.
“Our commitment to professional development and career services is among the best nationally,” said Dr. Laura Carlson, dean of the Graduate School. “Participation in this project will allow us to further extend our services to best fit the career paths that our graduate students are assuming. Our fundamental message to our doctoral students is that their research matters. Strong professional development is how we empower students to extend their research into the world.”
Provost Thomas G. Burish added, “The CGS grant will allow us to better learn from and serve our graduate alumni, which will in turn help the University to improve its various graduate programs and professional development opportunities. We are most grateful to those who worked hard to help the University win this grant.”
For successful engagement in the Career Pathways Project, the Graduate School will collaborate extensively with faculty, directors of graduate studies, current graduate students, and graduate alumni.