Get career ready
Dal GradPD is your go-to hub to learn about professional development designed for your specific needs as a graduate student. Together with partners across the university and external providers, the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) assembles an ongoing schedule of free workshops and events aimed to help you prepare for a diversity of careers.
The four pillars of the Dal GradPD program are dedicated to building skills necessary for success in any career - Communication, Career Intelligence, Health and Wellbeing, and Leadership - and are offered exclusively to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Upcoming Dal GradPD workshops and experiential learning
Visit our online professional development opportunities page to explore ways to build your skills at your own pace.
What It Means To Be a "Treaty Person”: Graduate Student Roles and Responsibilities in Reconciliation
Date: October 10, from 10:30 a.m. to noon (Registration closes October 9 at noon ADT)
Partner: Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT)
Pillars: Leadership and Communication
Steps to Starting a Successful Podcast
Date: Friday, October 13, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. (Registration closes October 12 at 2 p.m. ADT)
Partner: Faculty of Graduate Studies
Pillars: Communication
Canadian Career Symposium for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
Date: Tuesday, October 24 at 2 p.m. to Thursday, October 26, at 5 p.m. ADT
Partner: GPDN
Pillars: Career Intelligence
Microteaching Short Course
Date: September & October with various dates & times (Registration closes September 29)
Partner: Centre for Learning & Teaching (CLT)
Pillars: Communication and Leadership
Inclusive STEM Teaching Project
Date: October 2–November 21
Partner: CIRTL
Pillars: Leadership
Writing the Literature Review
Date: October 4, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration closes October 3 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre
Pillars: Communication
Fostering Student Belonging through Inclusive Language
Date: October 11 & 25, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. (Registration closes when capacity is reached)
Partner: CIRTL
Pillars: Leadership
Prepare (and Practice) For The Fair
Date: Friday, October 13, from 10 to 11:15 a.m. (Registration closes October 12 at 2 p.m. ADT)
Partner: Bissett Student Success Centre
Pillars: Career Intelligence
Managing Time & Avoiding Procrastination
Date: Friday, October 13, from noon to 1 p.m. (Registration closes October 12 at noon ADT)
Partner: Studying for Success Program
Pillars: Health and wellbeing
Putting Words Together: Sentences and Clauses
Date: October 18, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration closes October 17 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre
Pillars: Communication
Graduate Student Inquiring Mind Training Sessions
Dates: October 17, 19, 24, & 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Partner: Student Health & Wellness
Pillars: Health and wellbeing
Setting SMART Goals
Dates: October 24, from 2 to 3 p.m. (Registration closes October 23 at noon ADT)
Partner: Studying for Success Program
Pillars: Health and wellbeing
Finding Your Voice: Building Confidence as a Graduate Writer
Date: October 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration closes October 24 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre with Health and Wellness Centre
Pillars: Communication, Health and wellbeing
Exploring Careers in Teaching at a Community College
Date: Thursdays, October 26, November 9 & December 7 (Registration closes at noon ADT on each day of the series )
Partner: CIRTL
Pillars: Career Intelligence
Putting Words Together: Paragraphs
Date: November 1, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration closes October 31 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre
Pillar: Communication
Making a Commitment to Anti-Racist Leadership
Date: November 2, from 10:30 a.m. to noon (Registration closes November 1 at noon ADT)
Partner: Office for Equity and Inclusion and Faculty of Graduate Studies
Pillar: Leadership
Supporting Neurodivergent Students
Date: November 8–27 (Registration closes November 8 at noon ADT)
Partner: CIRTL
Pillar: Leadership
Getting the Most out of Your Word Count
Date: November 8, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration closes November 7 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre
Pillar: Communication
Hitting the Wall: Ways to Build & Maintain Motivation
Date: November 10, from noon to 1 p.m. (Registration closes November 9 at noon ADT)
Partner: Studying for Success Program
Pillar: Health and wellbeing
Facing Imposter Phenomenon as a Grad Student: Our Experiences and Strategies
Date: November 14, from 11 a.m. to noon (Registration closes November 13 at noon ADT)
Partner: Health and Wellness and Faculty of Graduate Studies
Pillar: Health and wellbeing
Building Career Hope and Resilience as a Grad Student
Date: November 14, from 1 to 2 p.m. (Registration closes November 13 at noon ADT)
Partner: Bissett Student Success Centre Academic Advising and Career Services and Student Health and Wellness
Pillar: Health and wellbeing, Career Intelligence
Writing Week for Graduate and Professional Program Students
Date: November 14–17, from 9 to 10 a.m. & 3–3:30 p.m. (Registration closes November 13 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre with Health and Wellness and Faculty of Graduate Studies
Pillar: Communication, Health and wellbeing
Postdoc Teaching Practicum
Dates: November 16 – April 4, 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Partner: CIRTL
Pillars: Communication and Leadership
Creating Accessible Teaching and Research Documents in STEM
Date: Fridays, November 17 & December 1 (Registration closes November 17 at noon ADT)
Partner: CIRTL
Pillar: Communication
Graduate Teaching Dossier Retreat
Date: November 21–December 1
Time: (In-person sessions: November 21, 28 from 1 to 3 p.m.; Drop-in sessions: November 24 and December 1 from 11 a.m. to noon. )
Partner: CLT
Pillar: Communication and Leadership
Critical Thinking for Revision
Date: November 22 (Registration closes November 21 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre
Pillar: Communication
Essential Copyright Conversations for Grad Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
Date: November 23, from 12 to 1 p.m. (Registration closes November 22 at noon ADT)
Partner: Dal Libraries
Pillar: Communication
Self-Awareness: Building an Equitable Self
Date: November 27 from 1 to 2 p.m. (Registration closes November 24 at 4 p.m. ADT)
Partner: Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT)
Pillar: Leadership
Providing Constructive Feedback
Date: November 29 (Registration closes November 28 at noon ADT)
Partner: Writing Centre
Pillar: Communication
Getting Started with Universal Design for Learning
Date: Thursdays, December 7 & 14 (Registration closes December 7 at noon ADT)
Partner: CIRTL
Pillar: Leadership
Graduate Student Inquiring Mind Training Sessions
Dates: January 11 & 18, 2024, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Partner: Student Health & Wellness
Pillars: Health and wellbeing
Participate in the Dal GradPD certificate program
To help you navigate your PD journey, we have created a free certificate program to recognize your efforts and help you identify the opportunities you need to take you where you want to go.
What you’ll do during the certificate program:
Individual development plan (IDP) workshop: In this session, you’ll explore the skills and experiences you need to achieve your professional goals and map your plan to get there. IDP workshops will be held every month, so don't worry if you missed an earlier session. An asynchronous video of the IDP workshop is also available in the Dal GradPD Brightspace.
Pillars workshops: Participate in two hours of workshops from each of the Dal GradPD pillars: Communication, Career Intelligence, Health and Wellbeing, and Leadership. You can select from options provided by Dal GradPD partners or find other opportunities you think will best suit your goals.
Experiential learning: Take on four hours of hands-on experience from each pillar. Write a blog, go to a networking event, practice a time management strategy, organize an event – the possibilities are vast and the experiences priceless.
Professional identity workshop: Wrap up the certificate with this session that will empower you to articulate the value of the skills you've gained at graduate school to prospective employers.
When done, you’ll receive a certificate signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and recognition on your transcripts. More importantly, you’ll have developed a plan for where you want to go with your career and assembled the professional and personal skills you need to get there.
