Professional Development
Texas A&M University offers numerous opportunities for you to gain professional skills that complement the discipline-specific knowledge gained in your degree program. You can participate in workshops, seminars and training events that are relevant to your field — and you can even earn CV- or resume-boosting certificates through G.R.A.D. Aggies.
Keep reading to find professional development opportunities that can help you reach your professional goals, whether you’re interested in academia, industry, government service or any other professional sector.
Explore Professional Development Opportunities
The Professional Development Directory is a searchable database of professional development opportunities for graduate and professional students at Texas A&M. Search by field or simply browse to find PD activities that supplement what you learn in the classroom and lab with transferrable skills and set you up to succeed on the job market and in your careers.
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Professional Development Skill Areas
All graduate and professional students should develop key skills to prepare for success upon graduation from Texas A&M with an advanced degree. Based on graduate student professional development literature, peer institution best practices and feedback from graduate program directors, advisors and students, the Graduate and Professional School has identified seven skill areas that apply across academic disciplines and degree programs.
Join G.R.A.D. Aggies to Develop Your Skills
Graduate Resources and Development for Aggies, better known as G.R.A.D. Aggies, is a collaborative effort between several Texas A&M offices to bring high-impact professional development opportunities to students like you. We curate a list of workshops, seminars, trainings and resources that can help you prepare for professional life after graduate or professional studies.
WHY PARTICIPATE IN G.R.A.D. AGGIES?
When you participate in G.R.A.D. Aggie events and complete reflections on your experience, you can earn certificates that will be excellent additions to your CV or resume. You can even take part in activities related to the skills listed above and earn a specialized certificate to show future employers your strengths in areas outside your academic performance.
Featured Workshops and Events
Whether or not you choose to earn a G.R.A.D. Aggies certificate, there are numerous professional development activities in which you can participate. Here are some popular workshops and events that graduate students benefit from every year.
G.R.A.D. Aggies Day
Earn up to 6 Professional Development Units (PDUs).
This workshop is designed for 1st- and 2nd-year graduate students and covers a variety of professional development skills. If you want a head start on earning a G.R.A.D. Aggies certificate, this is a great place to start. The event usually takes place in the Fall Semester.
3 Minute Thesis (3MT)
Polish your presentation skills and compete to represent Texas A&M!
3MT is a research communication competition created by the University of Queensland. Each graduate student participant has three minutes to present a compelling oration on their research and its significance using only one visual slide.
ReOrientation
Brush up on the basics as you prepare to complete your degree.
ReOrientation is an event for 3rd-year and beyond doctoral students to help them make the final push to degree completion and prepare them for life after graduation. You can earn up to 6 PDUs by participating in the event, which is all you need to earn a basic G.R.A.D. Aggies certificate.
UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS
Professional Development Partnerships
DEVELOP YOUR TEACHING SKILLS
Whether or not you choose to earn a G.R.A.D. Aggies certificate, there are numerous professional development activities in which you can participate. Here are some popular workshops and events that graduate students benefit from every year.
CIRTL@TAMU
Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning
Future Faculty Members: Learn effective teaching practices with the CIRTL program.
CTE-Graduate Student Support
Center for Teaching Excellence
Graduate students can find evidence-based professional development opportunities through CTE.
TATEP
Teaching Assistant Training and Evaluation Program
The program is intended to improve undergraduate teaching and enhance the classroom experiences of Graduate Teaching Assistants.
Humanities Cluster -- Diversifying Career Paths for Humanities PhDs
Texas A&M is committed to helping students identify and establish careers where they can put their extensive research-based skills to work in sectors like business, non-profits, government and public service.
Learn more about funding opportunities from the Humanities Cluster
Visit the Career Center
Whether you want to improve your interviewing skills or polish your CV or resume, Texas A&M’s Career Center has friendly and knowledgeable staff who are eager to help graduate and professional students reach their professional goals.
JUMPSTART YOUR CAREERSTRENGTHEN YOUR ACADEMIC ABILITIES
No matter your field of study, graduate school requires you to write effectively. Whether you need to write research grant proposals, develop a thesis or dissertation or even get your work published in a peer-reviewed journal, Texas A&M has resources available to help you become a stronger writer.
University Libraries
Attend workshops to learn about citation and publishing work, and many other topics.
Writing Center
Schedule an appointment to review your writing or attend a workshop to grow your skill set.
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
Many departments across Texas A&M support professional development. These offices are eager to help you reach your goals. Take some time to explore the resources available to help you succeed through degree completion and beyond.
International Student Services
Supporting professional development is just one way ISS encourages the academic and career success of international students at Texas A&M.
Money Education Center
Through Research, One-on-One Advising, and Instruction (ROI) for Money Education (ME), the center can help you make the most return on your investment at Texas A&M.
Research Development Services
The Research Development Services in the Division of Research provides general sessions on grant writing as well as sessions targeting specific funding agencies like NSF and NIH.
Counseling and Psychological Services
CAPS exists to advance student development and academic success by providing personalized and evidenced-based mental health care to Aggies.
GPSG: Graduate and Professional Student Government
GPSG advocates for graduate and professional students, ensuring their needs are considered when campus policies are made. It also supports graduate students in the extracurricular environment so that they can be successful academically.
The Graduate and Professional School
The Graduate and Professional School advocates for graduate education at Texas A&M and throughout Texas and the nation, acknowledging that professional development is an essential element of a well-rounded and effective education.
Even More Resources
PD.EDUCATION PORTAL BY DOCTORALNET
Find free resources, tools, and professional development webinars for Texas A&M graduate and professional students.
Topics include:
- Planning your semester
- Plotting your doctoral studies
- Mastering academic writing
- Academic reading strategies
- Writing pointers
- How to conduct mixed methods research
- Many more..
pd.education by DoctoralNet Directory Information
The Graduate and Professional School provides pd.education by DoctoralNet with directory information on TAMU graduate students once a semester. If a student places a directory hold after that time, the data will not be updated until the 12th class day of the following semester.

National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD)
Through the sponsorship of the Office of the Provost, the Office for Diversity and the Office of the Dean of Faculties, Texas A&M University is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), which allows all faculty, postdocs and graduate students access to NCFDD member resources at no cost.

The Versatile PhD Career Tool
Designed to help graduate students identify, prepare for and excel in nonacademic careers, Versatile PhD provides original, first-person content from real-life Ph.D.s and ABDs succeeding outside of academia. Learn how they became employed in wide-ranging fields and participate in online panel discussions and forums.

LinkedIn Learning
With your Texas A&M NetID you get access to video professional development training from LinkedIn Learning. This includes more than 120,000 video tutorials from world-class experts and new courses are added every week.