One aim of AAU’s PhD Education Initiative is to share information about promising and effective strategies, practices, and programs to promote institutional and systemic change. Below are links to initiative resources, and national projects and reports that focus on improving PhD education so that all students can thrive in their educational environments and be supported in pursing a full range of careers.
Initiative Tool Kit
Resources to Support Reflective Conversations and Action Planning
- Goals and Definitions Document
- Departmental Discussion Guide
- Institutional Reflection Questions
- Departmental Reflection Questions
- Department Action Planning Questions
Departmental Survey Instruments
Mentoring Programs and Practices
- Provost Mentor Fellows Program
- Professional Faculty Mentoring and Coaching Programs
- University Center of Exemplary Mentoring at Duke
- Peer Mentoring Program for First-Year PhD Students
- Peer-Led Grad Welcome Groups
Summer Opportunities
- PhD Internships in the Humanities
- PhD Summer Internships in Social Sciences
- Summer Research Fellowship for Research on Racism and Systemic Inequalities
Personal and Professional Development
- PhD Progression Training Program
- Professional Development Programs, Resources, and Events
- Grad Essentials Resources
- Individual Development Plan
- Career Development and Preparedness Resources
- Graduate Career Outcomes Toolkit
- Physics Careers Seminar Archive
- Professional Historian Preliminary Field Examinations
- Explore Career Options Resources
- Alumni@Work Resources
- Career Transition Guides
- PhD Career Pathways Program
- Reimagining Professional Development Award
- Biomedical Engineering Going Pro Program
- Chemical Engineering CHEERS Program
- PhD Plus Internship Highlights
- PhD Plus Future Faculty Series
Graduate Education Innovations
Initiative Publications
Pilot Cohort Work
- Themes from December 2020 Reflection Reports by Pilot Campuses and Departments
- Ideas from Fall 2020 Virtual Faculty and Student Forums
Blog Posts
- Making PhD Education More Student-Centered - Mary Sue's Desk, September 24, 2019
- The Three Vs of Graduate Education - Mary Sue's Desk, June 4, 2018
Press Releases
- AAU Launches PhD Initiative with Pilot of Eight Universities (September 12, 2019)
- AAU Receives Grants to Promote More Student-Centered Education (March 7, 2019)
PhD Data Transparency Workshop Outcomes (Spring 2018)
National Projects & Reports
Work by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
- Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century
- The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM
- Mental Health, Substance Use, and Wellbeing in Higher Education
Equity in Graduate Education
- Equity in Graduate Education Resource Center
- Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN)
- Equity in Graduate Education Consortium
PhD Data Transparency Efforts
PhD Program and Career Outcome Data
Boston University
Duke University
- All Departments: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics
- All Departments: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
- PhD Time to Degree Statistics
- PhD Completion Rate Statistics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Iowa
University of Missouri
- Graduate Program Statistics
- Graduate/Professional Student Experience Survey
- Graduate Career Outcomes
University of Texas at Austin
University of Virginia