Professional Development

The Department facilitates graduate students’ professionalization as a multi-year process. For example, our faculty offer workshops and online resources on topics like article writing, cover letters, and mock job interviews for students who are entering the job market.

In addition, we support students preparing for teaching and teaching assistant opportunities as well as dedicated advisor and committee mentorship by emphasizing pedagogies, research, and ethics attentive to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The funding and organization of talks, conferences, and workshops featuring both graduate students and academic or other speakers also provide frequent leadership and professionalization venues where our graduate students gain hands-on networking and organizational planning experience. 

Our department frequently hosts expert anthropologists who have established careers outside of academia. We hold workshops for graduate students each spring where students learn from such experts how to pursue careers in fields including development, business, and design, with targets in governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations. 

Students are encouraged to take advantage of department funding opportunities for conference travel and networking opportunities. The University of Notre Dame also has other funding opportunities available to graduate students and the Graduate School's Office of Grants and Fellowships offers expertise and resources to assist with all levels of grant writing and professional development. The Center for Career Development also has resources to support your professional development as a graduate student.