Celebrating Graduate Student Professional Development Month

Texas A&M University launched a new certificate program to provide enhanced support for students studying for graduate or professional degrees – a coordinated professional development program that is part of the existing Graduate Resources and Development for Aggies (G.R.A.D. Aggies)

Start date for the G.R.A.D. Aggies certificate program coincides with the university’s current observance of Graduate Student Professional Development Month, says Joelle Grace Muenich, senior graduate specialist with Graduate and Professional Studies.

In addition, Muenich says the existing G.R.A.D. Aggies program now offers a certificate in professional development. This certificate will allow students to highlight their participation in G.R.A.D. Aggies events on their resume or CV.

“The G.R.A.D. Aggies program supports the Texas A&M institutional Quality Enhancement Plan and provides high-impact learning experiences and professional development opportunities for the entire graduate and professional student population,” Muenich adds. “The goal of G.R.A.D. Aggies is to engage students in activities and resources to help prepare them for professional life after graduate school, no matter in which sector they plan to work. These programs help graduate students develop professional skills to complement the discipline-specific knowledge they gain in their degree program.”

Campus entities supporting G.R.A.D. Aggies include the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies, the Career Center, the Writing Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence and University Libraries.

Muenich explains that students who attend professional development events during October will receive a Professional Development Passport at the event. For each event attended, a student will receive a stamp in his or her passport. At the end of the month, participating students will be eligible for a variety of drawings based on the number of stamps in their passport. Prizes for attending events in October include T-shirts, giveaways and gift cards ranging from $10 – $50.

A list of sponsored events for Graduate and Professional Student Month is available here.

“Participating in G.R.A.D. Aggies was very valuable in terms of professional development and caused me to engage in activities that I otherwise wouldn’t have. It helped me to rethink my research,” says Ph.D. student Kelly Lemmons.

For more information about G.R.A.D. Aggies and to view a list of upcoming events, visit grad-aggies.tamu.edu.