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Foundations of Successful Career Planning and Development Course

Course Description

The course provides foundational training in career planning and professional development. Key skills that graduate students and postdocs build are:

  • Increasing your capacity for self-directed career development
  • Fostering life-long career management habits
  • Maximizing your scholarly training success
  • Shaping positive career outcomes

Students will engage in experiential learning, small-group discussions, and peer mentoring. These different approaches enable individually relevant and self-constructed understandings of career development, consistent with expectations of independence in scholarly activities. Areas for discussion include: self-assessments, exploration of different career options, how to set goals, career adaptability, and other topics identified by students. 

Nature cited the University of Pittsburgh for being among the first universities to offer a credit-bearing, graduate-level career development course. Nature 489, 593; 2012 (Initially listed under a different course name)

Format

This course spans a consecutive Fall and Spring term, and students must attend for the entire academic year for a total of two graduate course credits.  Class meets for two hours over lunch every other week. Brown bag lunch encouraged.

Class Meetings

OCS 3516-1010 (19509)
Tuesdays 11am-1pm, 414 Salk Hall
Every other week starting August 29th

Required Fees

MBTI assessment and book: $25

Eligibility 

All Schools and Programs Welcome (but limited capacity)  

  • Postdoctoral Scholars and Associates: Permission number required;
  • Postdoc tuition benefits apply
  • Graduate students in Doctoral Program: Permission number required
  • Graduate students in Master’s Program: Permission number required

Please discuss with your graduate/program director before registering. Contact the course instructor for the permission number or to be added to the waitlist.

How to Apply

Click here to access the application. 
Application Deadline: August 30, 2023

Education Benefits

Description of Postdoctoral Education Benefits: View Benefits

Based upon IRS tax code, graduate tuition benefits above $5250 in a calendar year are considered taxable income and these taxes are withheld from your educational benefits. To avoid federal income tax liability:

  • PA residents* should not enroll in more than 4 graduate credits per calendar year
  • Out of state residents should not enroll in more than 2.5 graduate credits per calendar year

*US citizens and permanent residents can be considered PA residents after residing in PA for twelve consecutive months.

Financial responsibility for a 1-credit graduate course after tuition benefits are applied is explained here.

Postdocs are encouraged to ask their faculty mentors to reimburse their out-of-pocket expenses for graduate credit courses.

Postdoc Tuition Payment Instructions for Administrators

Contact

Course Director: Steven K. Wendell, PhD, PC
Email: wend0017@pitt.edu 

Course References

Additional Information