Graduate Pathways to Success

Workday Student Support

Graduate students can find "how to" guides and support information on our Workday support page.

Our award-winning Graduate Pathways to Success program is a palette of non-credit workshops, seminars and other activities designed to complement your graduate program's academic curriculum and mentorship experience.  

Our offerings cover a wide range of personal and professional development topics to support you throughout your time in graduate school and to allow you to develop some of the skills and competencies needed to thrive as professionals and to make meaningful contributions to society. As you move forward in your studies and on into your career, it will be important for you to develop competencies for:

 

 

 

  • Graduate School Success:  Skills in academic writing and applying for funding, for example, help you to complete your program successfully and graduate in a timely fashion.
  • Self Management:  The ability to manage stress and time are among the many needed to help you achieve balance in life and effectiveness in educational and work environments.
  • Professional Effectiveness:  Success as a professional, whether in academia or outside, requires a range of skills and knowledge related to areas such as communication, management, interaction with people, and ethical conduct.
  • Career Building:  A proactive approach to career preparation involves investigating options, developing competencies, and learning how to present yourself for career opportunities.
  • Leadership:  As professionals, you will likely be (or already are being) called upon to lead others. Acquiring leadership skills and learning from accomplished leaders will contribute towards your success as a constructive leader.

Integral to all the above areas is development in critical thinking, creativity, integrity, and a recognition of our global and societal responsibility

We invite you to participate in our workshops and events, and to use The Graduate Game Plan, the Guides and the Graduate Pathways to Success Resources.

Graduate Pathways to Success Workshops and Events

Each year we plan and organize programming designed to strengthen skills and competencies that can support your development throughout graduate school and in your professional and personal life. These generally align with the GPS development areas: Graduate School Success, Self-Management, Professional Effectiveness, Career Building, and Leadership.

Check this calendar of workshops and events (by choosing "Graduate Pathways to Success" as provider) for upcoming sessions.

Below's year-at-a-glance shows the sessions we regularly offer, loosely arranged by thematic series, and presented with the time of year they generally occur.  This is not an inclusive list and each year we complement our offerings with unique events.  Session titles also change from year-to-year.

Recordings and materials for most of our past sessions are available here.  We welcome suggestions for new sessions.

Career Building
Session TOPIC Frequency Timing
Career Options/ Exploration Once a year Fall
Finding and Applying for a Job Once a year Fall
Resumes and Cover Letters Once a year Fall
Interviewing Once a year Winter
Academic CV Once a year Winter
Negotiating Once a year Winter
Panels on various career topics Throughout the year  
Leveraging your Strengths for Success Twice a year Fall and Winter
Graduate School Success
Session TOPIC Frequency Timing
Preparing Excellent Fellowship Applications Once a Year Late Spring/ Summer
Applying for Scholarships: Doctoral programs Once a Year Summer
Applying for Scholarships: Master’s programs Once a Year Fall
Building Effective Supervisory Relationships Twice a Year Fall and Spring
Submitting your Thesis Twice a year Fall and Winter
Copyright and academic work Twice to three times a year Fall, Winter and Spring
Doctoral Exams and Defence Procedures         Multiple times a year All year
Managing / Designing your Grad School Strategy Twice a year   Fall and Spring
Wellbeing
Session TOPIC Frequency Timing
Self-care Strategies for Managing Stress and Avoiding Burnout Twice a year Fall and Spring
Assertiveness Once a year Spring
Resilience and Anxiety Once a year Fall
Imposter Phenomenon Twice a year Fall and Spring
Perfectionism Once or twice a year Fall, Winter or Spring
Procrastination Once or twice a year Fall, Winter or Spring
Communicating your Research
Session TOPIC Frequency Timing
Putting it into Words: The Why's and How's of honing the key messages of your research Once a year Winter
From the editor's desk: Ins and outs of Publishing research Once a year Winter
Habits of academic writers Once a year Winter
Fundamentals of Statistics
Session TOPIC Frequency Timing
Exploratory Data Analysis Once a Year Fall
Study Design and Data Collection Essentials Once a Year Fall
Two group comparisons and ANOVA Once a Year Winter
Correlation and Linear Regression Once a Year Winter
Intro to Mixed Effects Models Once a Year Winter

 

*Fall: September – December, Winter: January – March, Spring: April – June, Summer: July - August

We would like to acknowledge the presenters from many of our campus partners that help to provide these sessions, including G+PS, the UBC Library, the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers, the Applied Statistics and Data Science Group, Health Promotion and Education, and others.

The Graduate Game Plan

The Graduate Game Plan provides advice and guidance for graduate students at all stages of their graduate careers.  We encourage all graduate students to read and follow the suggestions provided, whether you have just arrived at UBC, or are well into your program. Don't get lost in your graduate journey, just follow the steps to cross the finish line successfully!

 

For additional professional development events, services, and resources available to you at UBC, visit the Professional Development page.