GRADAUTE STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Competencies
Through a variety of programs, collaboration with University partners like the Career and Writing Centers, and an evolving catalog of workshops, the Graduate College strives to develop the skills necessary for UD graduate and post-doctoral students to succeed wherever their careers take them.
Upon completing their graduate training at UD, our students will have acquired the competencies of:
- leadership and management
- effective communication
- teaching and mentoring
- personal growth and wellbeing
- career navigation
Leadership and Management
- Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals.
- Use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others.
- Assess and manage your emotions and those of others.
- Use empathetic skills to guide and motivate and to organize, prioritize, and delegate work.
To explore your potential and gain leadership certification in multiple levels of leadership through the nationally recognized program, please visit Blue Hen Leadership Program (BHLP). Leadership training opportunities available at the BHLP are centered on The Social Change Model of Leadership (Higher Education Research Institute) and build on its tiered curriculum to correspond to the Self, Group, and Community lenses of that model. The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes and Posner) and its five principles--Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart-- provide the foundation for the Emerging Leader tier of the program. All leadership theories and models taught in the program rely heavily on self-awareness, values, the importance of relationships, and communication in ultimately affecting positive change.
The Graduate College is also developing a leadership certificate program with specific tracks for graduate students to prepare them for diverse, global working communities.
Effective Communication
- Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and verbal forms.
- Present ideas and demonstrate the impact of one’s work to a broad range of audiences.
- Write clearly and effectively for technical and non-technical audiences.
Graduate student writing support is available at the Writing Center.
The Writing Center is a place where all members of the UD community can come to write and to talk, think and learn about writing. All Writing Center services are free.
Graduate students from the English Department provide one-to-one consultations to UD graduate students for any graduate writing project, such as theses, dissertations, articles, or assignment, in one-to-one and small group tutorials. They provide assistance for all stages of the writing process, from brainstorming to revision. To make an appointment, view our Online Scheduler
As you progress through your academic career and begin working on your dissertation, the Writing Center also facilitates Dissertation Retreats. The student-run writing group, Writing Hens can also provide peer support for writing through goal check-ups and write-on-sites. Interested members please join our slack channel or email writinghens@gmail.com.
Teaching and Mentoring
Gain knowledge of instructional pedagogies, assessment methods and promoting inclusive teaching environments.
Effectively mentor undergraduate students, early scholars and peers.
The Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning (CTAL) offers a variety of programs and resources throughout the year to meet the needs of instructors at every stage of their teaching careers. From graduate students entering the teaching ranks as instructors of record to experienced faculty fine-tuning their craft, all instructors will find participation in CTAL programs an opportunity for exploration and discovery in a collegial setting. Visit the events calendar on CTAL’s homepage to view and register for upcoming programs, such as the Course Design Institute (CDI), Friday Roundtables, and Teaching Online Together: SPOT-ON.
Graduate Students preparing to be teaching assistants for the first time are encouraged to explore CTAL’s online and asynchronous New Teaching Assistant Orientation Canvas Resource. This Canvas site has been designed by CTAL to provide new TAs with concrete strategies to manage their new roles with ease. This Canvas site serves as a "getting started" resource that will help guide conversations TAs can have with their department, advisor and other graduate students in their program to prepare for the unique responsibilities of their teaching assistant role.
LinkedIn Learning for Instructors
CTAL staff are continually reviewing LinkedIn Learning content for material related to teaching and learning. Before making our recommendations, we ensure the materials’ quality and relevance to our unique University of Delaware academic ecosystem.
If you haven’t already, please visit www.udel.edu/linkedinlearning to activate your UD sponsored access to LinkedIn Learning at no financial cost to you. Once your account has been activated, you will have the opportunity to join LinkedIn Learning with your existing LinkedIn profile. Joining these two accounts allows you to share LinkedIn Learning course completion accomplishments, such as digital certificates, with your professional network.
After learning about a particular strategy or idea via LinkedIn Learning, we strongly recommend scheduling a one-on-one consultation with a CTAL team member, who can help you identify evidence-based solutions inspired by what you’ve learned. Together, we can tailor a strategy to your unique learning environment that reflects your teaching philosophy, student learning outcomes, program educational goals, and disciplinary values.
For additional resources on teaching and mentoring at UD, visit the CTAL website.
Personal Growth and Wellbeing
- Build resilience to manage stress and promote self-care, self-compassion and positive outlook.
- Advocate for yourself and on behalf of others.
- Engage in difficult conversations with confidence.
- Develop personal finance literacy skills.
The Center for Counseling and Student Development (CCSD) seeks to foster student learning by promoting psychological wellbeing so that students can be more successful in their academic, personal, and career pursuits. The activities and programs of the Center are intended to help with one or more of the following: reducing psychological symptoms, coping with life events and developmental tasks, improving interpersonal skills and relationships, and increasing self-knowledge and problem-solving ability. Essential to the Center mission is promoting equality and respect for individual and cultural differences.
Hundreds of graduate and professional students receive individual and group counseling from CCSD every year. Many graduate and professional students also receive psychiatric care through CCSD.
CCSD is on campus and abides by the laws of confidentiality that all licensed mental health providers follow.
CCSD is staffed by 15 licensed psychologists, 2 psychiatrists, 1 psychiatric nurse, 1 licensed professional counselor, and 7 full-time trainees who are completing their doctoral work.
CCSD works in a short-term treatment model in order to be able to provide care to more students and especially those in crisis. The length of short-term treatment varies by the needs of the student as determined by our clinical staff. Most students are seen between 4-6 sessions, though some are seen for as many as 12 sessions.
Students can call for an initial “triage” appointment to provide basic information about their desire for psychotherapy. This appointment will allow the clinician to determine the recommended course of treatment, with possibilities including individual therapy, group therapy, skills-based groups, or a referral to other treatment. Psychiatric treatment is possible for students who are being seen for therapy at CCSD.
Location: The Wellbeing Center at Warner Hall
Telephone: 302-831-2141
Fax: 302-831-2148
For after-hours emergencies, contact the Student Health Service at 831-2226 or Public Safety at 911
Semester Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
If you perceive an immediate danger or risk of suicide, call 911 for immediate assistance. Students can also reach mental health support 24 hours a day on the UD Helpline (302-831-1001).
Students in crisis can use crisis appointments in our center Monday through Friday, or utilize our partner service, the UD Helpline, which provides 24/7 service where students can reach a licensed counselor anytime. This service is available to all UD students whether they are receiving services from CCSD or not. Crisis services can be found here.
Some students find Aetna's provider portal overwhelming. Our referral coordinator has years of experience navigating the provider portal and is here to help you. Call CCSD at 302-831-2141 to request a meeting with the Referral Coordinator.
CCSD has a webpage with Referral information to introduce you to the CCSD Referral process. CCSD also maintains a searchable database of local therapy providers.
The Student Wellness and Health Promotion center provides direct services, such as supportive counseling for substance use and victim advocacy to support of students’ behavioral and emotional wellness, and assists students with evaluating their options for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and practicing wellness through its large scale educational and social events, small group workshops and support groups, in-class presentations, virtual presentations and workshops, online activities, the Blue Hen Wellbeing Community, and more.
Confidential in-person or distance meetings are available by appointment only for all services including the Collegiate Recovery Community, substance use counseling, and support for victims of sexual misconduct. Call or email to get started with services.
Students can also learn more about healthy relationships, safer sex, substance use, and stress management through the self-paced Choosing Well at UD portal, and can complete an anonymous, confidential self-assessment of their alcohol, marijuana or other drug use through ScreenU.
Learn more about all SWHP opportunities.
Location: The Wellbeing Center at Warner Hall, Suite 305.
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 302-831-3457
Email: studentwellness@udel.edu
Instagram: @LiveWellUDel
Psychological First Aid Training for Leaders and Managers
Developed by University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Intended Audience: Graduate Program Directors, Faculty Advisors, Principal Investigators
Duration: 1 hour
Overview: This one-hour webinar describes Psychological First Aid, an evidence-informed prevention strategy aimed at reducing distress and increasing resilience during and following mass disasters, including natural disasters and pandemics. It provides a primer of PFA and how it can be adapted to support mental well-being of team members amidst the COVID-19 pandemic or other challenging situations.
Psychological First Aid
Developed by Johns Hopkins University
Intended Audience: Faculty, staff, and students
Duration: Approximately 6 hours, self-directed
Overview: Learn to provide psychological first aid to people in an emergency by employing the RAPID model: Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition. Utilizing the RAPID model, this specialized course provides perspectives on trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. The RAPID model is readily applicable a variety of situations including the demands of more commonplace critical events, e.g. dealing with the psychological aftermath of accidents, robberies, suicide, homicide, or community violence. In addition, the RAPID model has been found effective in promoting personal and community resilience.
Career Navigation
Become aware of career options that match your values, skills, interests, and priorities.
Understand how to cultivate lasting professional connections.
Engage in experiential learning opportunities to acquire and master new skills.
Strategize and develop a plan to pursue career opportunities effectively.
Identify and articulate your skills, strengths, knowledge and experiences relevant to the desired career goals.
To ensure that our graduate students and postdoctoral trainees from all backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, and identities achieve their career aspirations, the Graduate College provides the following career navigation support. Additional programs and resources such as career fairs, employer meetups, job and internship recruiting, and virtual interview programs are offered by the Career Center.
Career Development Support for Graduate Students and Postdocs
Career advising is available to graduate students and all current post-doctoral trainees. One-on-one discussions with a career coach can help you gain clarity on your career direction, learn about best practices on building professional networks, launch a job or internship search, or ace the interviews.
To schedule an appointment, sign into your Handshake account and select “Graduate Students and Postdocs” appointment option. If you are a graduate student in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, please select the “Business Career Interest” appointment option. An online tutorial for setting up virtual career appointments is available here.
Academic departments, faculty members, and graduate student organizations can request career skill-building workshops for their courses or program offering. These independent modules span the entire spectrum of the job search process, including exploring career options, building professional networks, creating effective application materials, preparing for interviews, and negotiating salary. A typical workshop duration is 1 hour. If desired, workshops can be combined and/or extended to include additional hands-on exercises and peer feedback opportunities.
Please send workshop inquiries or questions to gradsuccess@udel.edu.
Connect
234 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716 USA grad@udel.edu General: (302) 831-6824 Fax: (302) 831-8745