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
Professional Career Development Group
Graduating this year and feeling anxious about life after university or unprepared for an uncertain job market?
Attend this career development support group facilitated by a career counsellor to build a peer support network and confidence as you prepare to embark on the next chapter of your life!
Registration is now available on the MyCareer events calendar. Go to the next Friday on the events calendar to register, after which you will be contacted to confirm your eligibility and additional details. New registrations will be accepted weekly throughout the term, but space is limited, so students are encouraged to register early!
Date and time: Ongoing weekly; Tuesdays from 3 to 4 p.m.
Partner: Bissett Student Success Centre Academic Advising and Career Services
Type: In-Person
Pillar: Career intelligence
Location: McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building
Professional Career Development Group
Graduating this year and wondering what you are going to do with your degree?
Feeling anxious about life after university or unprepared for an uncertain job market?
Attend this career development support group facilitated by a career counsellor to build a peer support network and confidence as you prepare to embark on the next chapter of your life! Bonus: Participants who complete the group may be eligible to add as an activity on their Co-Curricular Record!
The group will improve your confidence and skills in:
- Self-awareness, career planning and setting career goals
- Building hope and dealing with uncertainty in a changing job market
- Overcoming networking and interviewing anxiety
Partner: Career Services and Health and Wellness
Date: Mondays Februrary 2 - March 9, 2026
Time: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. AT
Type: In-person
Location: Studley Campus
Research Camp for Research Assistants, Teaching Assistants and Graduate Students
The Research Camp is designed to take you through the elements of research from basic to advanced. The program is offered through a combination of asynchronous modules on Brightspace and live sessions offered in-person, hybrid, or online through Teams. Modules may include short video lectures and interactive exercises to help you brush up on your literature searching, writing, information management, and research skills.
Partner: Dal Libraries
Date/time: Asynchronous and ongoing
Type: Online
Writing Centre Daily Pomodoro Sessions
The Writing Centre offers daily group online writing sessions every weekday morning. Join Writing Centre staff members, students, and other members of the Dal community to set writing goals and write against the clock in two 23-minute bursts to help you get started on your writing day. No preregistration or commitment is necessary. Come to as many or as few sessions as you like!
Partner: Writing Centre
Date: Weekdays
Time: 10:05 to 10:55 a.m. AT
Type: Online
Location: via BB Collaborate
Ombudsperson
The Ombudsperson Office is available to all Dalhousie students for free, confidential, impartial, and independent support to help resolve any university-related concerns. Some examples include:
• Providing general resource information and making appropriate referrals
• Identifying and explaining relevant university processes/policies
• Working with students to explore and strategize options for problem-solving
• Listening and providing an objective perspective
Partner: International Centre & Ombudsperson Office
Date: Tuesdays
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. AT
Type: In-person
Location: International Centre, 1246 LeMarchant St., Main floor
Drop-in immigration advising (in person)
The IC offers drop-in immigration advising on a first-come, first-served basis. Drop-in sessions are no longer than 30 minutes. If you need to book advising for longer than 30 minutes, you can book an appointment with an Immigration Advisor. Drop-in sessions are also available on the Sexton Campus (Melda Murray Student Centre) on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Partner: International Centre
Date: Monday to Friday
Time: 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. AT
Type: In-person
Location: International Centre, 1246 LeMarchant St., Main floor
Drop-in Writing Advising (in person)
Our International Student Writing Advisor will be at the IC for virtual and in-person writing appointments.
Partner: Writing Centre and International Centre
Date: Wednesdays
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. AT
Type: In-person
Location: International Centre, 1246 LeMarchant St., Main floor
Teaching Assistant Professional Development Days (TA Days)
We are excited to invite all graduate students and teaching assistants—whether you're stepping into the role for the first time or returning with experience—to join us for Teaching Assistant Professional Development Days (TA Days), taking place September 10–11, 2026.
TA Days is an opportunity to build your teaching toolkit, explore practical strategies, and connect with fellow TAs and the teaching and learning community at Dalhousie. Through interactive workshops and conversations on topics such as inclusive teaching, TA well-being, teaching in labs, GenAI, student feedback, classroom management, and effective communication, both new and experienced TAs can gain practical ideas and strategies to support their teaching throughout the academic year.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to nasim.tavassoli@dal.ca or ezgi.ozyonum@dal.ca.
Partner: Centre for Learning and Teaching
Date: September 10 & 11, 2026
Type: In person on Sept. 10 | Online on Sept. 11
Join Susan Lavoie, PhD, Registered Psychologist to discuss imposter phenomenon as a graduate student and strategies on how to navigate this experience.
Partner: Health & Wellness
Date: September 16, 2026
Time: 1 to 2 p.m. AT
Type: In person (Studley Campus)
Finding and Securing Research Funding Opportunities (PivotRP)
Facilitated by: Jocelyn Rankin, MES, Research Facilitator
Finding the right funding opportunity can be key to advancing your research. This session will guide you through claiming your profile, setting up alerts, and customizing your funding opportunities.
Pivot-RP is a powerful tool for discovering research funding, managing opportunities, and building collaborations. Once your profile and alerts are set, Pivot RP will do the work for you, delivering relevant funding opportunities straight to your inbox. Whether you're new to Pivot-RP or looking to optimize your use, this session will provide practical tips to streamline your research funding journey.
Anyone with a dal.ca email address to access Pivot-RP. For this session, be sure to have your university sign-in details on hand, ORCID ID (if you have it), as well as links to personal websites and/or Google Scholar profile.
Partner: PREP
Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. AT
Type: Online via Teams
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.
