Credential Program
The College of Graduate Studies offers the non-credit credential program to provide graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with opportunities for professional development and personal growth that complement their academic work.
By participating in the credentials, students and postdocs expand their knowledge on specific topics and engage in productive discussions with their peers. Completion of the credentials showcases an interest in learning about the topics and provides a valuable experience that students and postdocs can draw on in the future.
Students who complete credentials receive a Letter of Completion as per Senate policy O-129.
The Scholarly Research, Writing, and Publishing Credential, created in partnership with the Centre for Scholarly Communication, consists of six workshops over four themes: Scholarly Research, Research Data, Writing, and Publishing.
The credential is intentionally flexible, allowing students to attend workshops that pique their interest on a particular topic.
Graduate students who complete the requirements will receive a Letter of Completion as per Senate policy O-129.
Graduate students who complete the credentialing program will gain:
- Increased awareness of effective tools and practices for discovering scholarly literature and managing literature searches
- Increased understanding of tools and strategies for acquiring and managing data in current scholarly practice
- Increased understanding of the typical elements of the scholarly genres that are used at different stages of the writing and publication process
- Increased awareness of effective practices for synthesizing the literature to demonstrate a scholarly contribution
- Skills to leverage this understanding and knowledge to produce a document that achieves the writer’s purpose (e.g. defend a thesis or publish an article)
- Knowledge and tools for students to use when initiating new research.
- Knowledge and tools for students to use in disseminating scholarly writing to improve discoverability by intended audiences and enhance the writer’s scholarly profile
The Career Readiness and Professional Development Credential consists of seven workshops over four themes (Career Exploration, Job Search Strategies, Preparing Your Application, and Networking). These workshops will focus on building a strategy for personal career management, help students and postdocs reflect on their experiences, create a future vision of their career, and learn strategies and skills to develop and grow professionally. Workshops are offered in partnership with relevant organizations on campus.
The credential is intentionally flexible, allowing students to attend workshops that pique their interest in a particular topic.
Graduate students who complete the requirements will receive a Letter of Completion as per Senate policy O-129.
Graduate students and postdocs who complete the credentialing program will:
- Develop a strategy for personal career management
- Reflect on personal experiences, strengths, interests, and influences.
- Create a vision for their future career and strategies and skills to help get there
- Learn about different types of interviews, interview questions, and how to present oneself and one’s skills effectively
- Learn how to conduct an effective job search and strategies to stand out
- Develop interpersonal skills to connect with people during networking opportunities
The Social and Cultural Awareness Credential was launched in January 2021 and consists of eight workshops over three themes (Interculturalism, Equity and Inclusion, and Mental Health and Wellbeing). These workshops will focus on building awareness around social and cultural differences, diversity, inclusion, and equity, and will be offered in partnership with relevant organizations on campus.
The credential is intentionally flexible, allowing students and postdocs to attend workshops that pique their interest in a particular topic.
Graduate students who complete the requirements will receive a Letter of Completion as per Senate policy O-129.
Graduate students and postdocs who complete the credentialing program will gain:
-
- Increased understanding of social and cultural differences
- Increased understanding and knowledge of historically, persistently, and systemically marginalized groups
- Skills to leverage this understanding and knowledge to build empathy and compassion and address issues of inequity
- Knowledge and tools for students to use when engaging with marginalized groups among their peers and their students
- Knowledge and tools for students to use in the classroom and the workplace to ensure an inclusive and safe environment for everyone