GSAS is committed to assisting graduate students in developing the professional skills needed to launch and build successful careers inside or outside academia.
 
New in 2017: Eligible PhD students may apply for funding for professional development activities through the Professional Development Fund.
 
In addition to the support offered by GSAS and support offered at the department or program level, students can access many other resources available through:

Students may also find Scholarly Pursuits: A Guide to Professional Development during the Graduate Years, written by Director of the Fellowships Office Cynthia Verba, useful. Scholarly Pursuits offers advice on professional development in preparation for an academic career and for enhancing PhD career opportunities more generally. Included are samples of winning fellowship proposals, as well as CVs and cover letters for job applications.

Harvard Horizons

Each year, eight outstanding PhD candidates are chosen to receive in-depth, personalized mentoring and coaching designed to enhance their presentation skills. The program culminates in a symposium of brief, compelling talks where these scholars present their research from the Sanders Theatre stage.Read more

Graduate Seminars

In graduate seminars, students consider central conceptual and analytic themes, course design, and pedagogy while analyzing appropriate readings, primary materials, and laboratory work. This innovative model gives faculty interested in developing new courses the opportunity to construct the course...Read more

GSAS Research Workshops

GSAS Research Workshops provide graduate students in the humanities and social sciences with guidance for conceiving and writing scholarly articles, thesis prospectuses, and dissertations. Often cross-disciplinary, the workshops also offer faculty an opportunity to share drafts of their scholarly work.Read more

Graduate Consortia

Each consortium organizes courses and other activities designed to engage faculty, students, and staff in the subject. Interested students should visit the sites below for more information and to apply. Harvard Graduate Consortium on Energy and Environment Harvard Graduate Consortium in...Read more

Center for Writing and Communicating Ideas

The Center for Writing and Communicating Ideas seeks to provide GSAS students with the means to enhance the clarity and depth of their communications. In doing so, it supports a vision of the leading role of GSAS research in the world.Read more

Related Resources

Professional Development Fund
If you are a PhD student who entered GSAS in fall 2015 or later and have begun or passed your thirdMore