Course Description
Students will receive training and develop skills necessary to obtain and fulfill job expectations in a professional position in the plant science industry, academia, and non-profit institutions. Students will build custom job applications and research proposals as an active learning component.
Athena Title
Prof Dev Grad Students
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The objectives of this course are to educate and facilitate plant science M.S. and Ph.D. students in obtaining a post-graduate position, acquire soft skills needed in diverse workplaces, and improve oral and written communication skills as they pertain to a career in plant science.
Topical Outline
Outline of Course Content: Students will receive training and develop skills necessary to obtain and fulfill job expectations in a professional position in the plant science industry, academia, and non-profit institutions. There are four major components of this course: (i) Developing job application materials and interviewing skills: Students will develop custom job applications. Activities will include: what are possible careers in plant science; strategies for obtaining a position; demystifying job applications; resume and CV preparation including evaluation through peer and mentor review teams; networking skills/approaches will be discussed and practiced; mock job interviews will be conducted with a panel of hiring managers; elevator pitches will be developed and evaluated by peers. (ii) Developing soft skills essential for success: Soft skills are a vital component of a successful scientist in the modern workplace. This course will focus on developing soft skills and include: communication; work ethic; teamwork; leadership; time management; decision-making; conflict resolution; problem-solving. (iii) Developing essential managerial skills: Personnel management is a frequent responsibility of Ph.D./M.S.-level employees. The basics of personnel management skills, budget planning, and accounting will be discussed. (iv) Integrating skills through active learning: To integrate these skills and knowledge, students will develop a concept note for their desired position (e.g., plant breeder, postdoctoral researcher, entrepreneur, faculty, policy maker) with a 5-year timeline. This will be a ~5-page document and include a research plan, budget, personnel job descriptions, deliverables, timetable, and alignment with institutional goals/targets. These proposals will be reviewed/rated by peer students in a manner similar to Shark Tank. The students will then revise their proposals based on comments from the peer review. To simulate real life, near the end of the semester, each project will be ‘thrown a wrench’ and the student will need to develop a contingency plan.