There are many ways to divide up the professional skills needed by graduate students and early career researchers. We have chosen to organize the available programming into four strands: Research, Communication, Leadership & Collaboration, and Career Planning. These four strands are designed to help you understand and plan the activities that will support your professional development.
You can browse this list to get some ideas of programming you might find helpful. If you engage in individual development planning, you can use this page to help you identify how you will meet the professional goals you have set.
Research
Becoming a researcher is at the heart of most graduate education. The curricular offerings in research-stream master’s and doctoral degrees offer training in disciplinary research practices, and the goal of graduate supervision is to deepen that disciplinary competence through thesis writing and publication. There are nonetheless many topics about which graduate students still have questions: for example, research strategy; research ethics; financial management; grant applications; technology and tools; and project management.
SGS Programming
- Getting Started as a Graduate Researcher Workshop
- Welcome to Candidacy Workshop
- Non-credit Courses and Workshops on Grant Writing
Other Programming and Resources
- Programming in Research Strategy & Management, Research Tools & Skills, and Grants & Awards Administration (offered by the Centre for Research & Innovation Support)
- Training in research data management (offered by the University of Toronto Libraries)
- Workshops to help graduate students navigate academic challenges (offered by the Centre for Learning Strategy Support)
- Data Science Certificate for U of T doctoral students (offered by SGS and the Data Sciences Institute)
Communication
The point of academic research is to be shared; as a result, communication is central to the work of graduate students and early career researchers. Despite its centrality, communication is often omitted from the graduate curriculum. As a result, graduate students often benefit from finding additional supports as they develop these key skills: for example, writing; presenting; publishing; teaching; and communicating with the public.
Other Programming and Resources
- Programming in Communication & Knowledge Exchange (offered by the Centre for Research & Innovation Support)
- Training in scholarly communication and copyright (offered by the University of Toronto Libraries)
- Programming to help graduate students manage the writing process (offered by the Centre for Learning Strategy Support)
- Support for all aspects of teaching and learning and, including the Teaching Assistant’s Training Program (offered by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation)
- Graduate writing support (offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science)
- Writing tutors and support (offered by the Faculty of Information Learning Hub)
- Personalized writing instruction and feedback (offered by the Health Sciences Writing Centre)
Leadership & Collaboration
A vital aspect of graduate study is leadership and collaboration; learning how to work with others, both as a teammate and as a leader, enriches your capacity as a researcher.
SGS Programming
Other Programming and Resources
- Programming in Leadership & Personal Effectiveness and Collaboration & Partnerships (offered by the Centre for Research & Innovation Support)
- Workshops on project management for grad students (offered by the Centre for Learning Strategy Support)
- Resources related to EDI requirements and strategies (offered by EDI in Research & Innovation) and guides to EDI in research (offered by the Centre for Research & Innovation Support)
- Resources for international students on intercultural learning (offered by the Centre for International Experience)
- Junior Fellowships at Massey College
Career Planning
Finally, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars all need support with career planning, for both the academic and non-academic job markets.
SGS Programming
- How to Get the Most Out of Your Individual Development Planning Process Workshop
Other Programming and Resources
- Support for graduate students through the Flexible Futures Programming (offered by Career Exploration & Education)
- Graduate students at University of Toronto Mississauga have access to resources for graduate students (offered by the UTM Career Centre)
- Graduate professional development support (offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science)
- Career Exploration programming (offered by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering)
- Career resources (offered by the Registrar’s Office & Student Experience, OISE)
- Graduate professional development program (offered by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
- Industry-relevant training, networking, grants, and experiential learning for those interested in the biomanufacturing sector (offered by BioHubNet)
- Career support (offered by U of T Alumni)
Note about eligibility: While most of this programming is offered centrally, some will be restricted by department, faculty, or campus. Please see our note about Navigating the Professional Development Landscape at U of T.