Graduate and Professional Students
Graduate and Professional Students: Preparing to Apply
When searching for potential positions, read position announcements carefully to identify what required application components need to be prepared and reviewed. Prepare these documents and have them reviewed by your advisor, a trusted mentor, peers, and/or your career consultant for feedback prior to submitting your application.
Select the topics below for more details.
The Research Statement, sometimes referred to as "research agenda" or "research plan", is an opportunity to show the search committee your scholarly history and aspirations (i.e., completed research projects and plans). This statement will convey your research expertise per your history of research and convey how your research would benefit the institution. You also should note any monetary/grant awards for research. Your curriculum vitae (CV) will note your projects, publications, and presentations; however, this document may focus on:
- Your area of research
- Why you are interested in these areas
- Significant projects/questions you address in your research
- The importance of your research
- The next steps you are taking regarding your research
You may ask faculty in your department or peers for exemplars and/or to review your statement to explore if it meets the standard for your fields. This statement is typically 2-3 pages in length.
A teaching statement or a teaching philosophy is a document that allows instructors space to articulate their values and approach to effective instruction. These statements may be required for academic positions with a teaching appointment (i.e., instructor, lecturer, and professor ranks). A teaching statement is usually a required component of the teaching portfolio.
The resources developed by the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia are shared below to help you to craft a teaching philosophy statement.
For information on workshops for writing teaching statements, visit the Center for Teaching and Learning's events page. For more information on teaching related professional development, you may .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
A Teaching Portfolio/Dossier is an opportunity to demonstrate evidence of teaching excellence. A dossier is a curated collection of the following components:
- Teaching Philosophy Statement
- Diversity Statement
- Evidence of Teaching (e.g., teaching materials like syllabi)
- Teaching effectiveness (e.g., awards, evaluations, peer observation evidence, student letters of support)
- Evidence of professional development (i.e., evidence of attending workshops, conferences, etc.)
The resources developed by the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia are shared below to help you craft a teaching philosophy statement.
For information on teaching related workshops, visit the Center for Teaching and Learning's events page. For more information on teaching related professional development, you may .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Many faculty positions require a teaching demonstration to demonstrate instructional effectiveness. This is a critical part of an instructional/faculty job interview. You will need to demonstrate pedagogical expertise and content knowledge by delivering an engaging lesson to stakeholders at the university. Students, potential colleagues in the department, the administrators, and anyone on the hiring committee (i.e., a selected group of professionals overseeing the interviewing process for the position) may attend your teaching demonstration.
For information on workshops and information on teaching excellence, visit the Center for Teaching and Learning's events page. For more information on teaching related professional development, you may .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Many staff and administration positions in higher education ask you to prepare a presentation that is usually based on a prompt given by the potential employer. This is a critical part of the interview. You will need to demonstrate your ability to interpret the prompt and create an engaging presentation for employer and guests who are invited to this presentation. This presentation will be highly specialized to your field so remember to have this reviewed by people you consider advisors, mentors, and colleagues. The Presentation Collaboratory, housed in the Office for Student Success and Achievement (OSSA), offers consultation services to help students prepare for presentations and public speaking.