About the Graduate School's Professional and Career Development Services

Doctoral alumni have a variety of resources available to them through the Alumni Association, online career tools especially for those with doctorates, and the career services offices on campus. 

To maximize their employment opportunities upon completing their degree, doctoral students must actively engage in their own professional development and career planning at all stages of their program. Earning a doctorate at The University of Maryland develops expertise and skills that can be used in many different career paths in academia, private industry, nonprofit organizations, and the federal government.

Professional and career development opportunities are numerous at UMD and doctoral students should participate in these at all stages of their program. Academic departments, colleges, and schools, The Graduate School and University Career Center & The President's Promise organize events where you can learn about different careers and industries, expand your network, and add to your skillset.

Getting Started

• Doctoral students are strongly encouraged to develop an Individual Development Plan (IDP) during their first semester. The IDP is an evolving document that includes steps you will take each semester to achieve your academic and professional goals.  To get started on your IDP, download the printable IDP template for current doctoral students or a similar template for postdocs. 
  

• Ask your advisor and more senior doctoral students in your department about the types of professional development events offered by your program, college, or school. Mark these events on your calendar.

• Familiarize yourself with the information on this website and the career events offered by the University Career Center & The President's Promise.   

• Review the following handouts: The Doctoral Career Development Timeline and Doctoral Career Development Resources as well as the materials and slides from Doctoral Workshops.

• Take 10 minutes to activate your free Careers4Terps or Careers4Engineers (for Engineering students only) account. Upload your current CV and/or resume to either Careers4Terps or Careers4Engineers. Take a look at the instruction sheets for setting up your C4T account and scheduling an appointment.

• After logging in, explore and register for upcoming career fairs, panels, and workshops for doctoral students and postdocs through the Career Center’s events calendar.

• Learn more about various career planning and job search topics on the career center’s website.

• After taking these basic steps to familiarize yourself with on-campus resources, schedule an individual appointment through your primary career center.