UT Dallas hosts week of activities for graduate students

The University of Texas Dallas will host professional development events where graduate students can network for Graduate Professional Week from Monday through Friday.

The office of Graduate Studies is hosting the event so that it meets the unique needs of its academic, social and professional students. There are approximately 9,450 graduate and doctoral students, who make up approximately 35 percent of the students enrolled for fall 2016.

“They are not just older undergraduates,” Marion Underwood, dean of graduate studies, said. “They are diverse and are at different ages and stages of their training. Many have families. About 65 percent are international. They are here for focused reasons, to further their academic training and advance their careers. It’s important for us to support their goals and also to help them feel part of the UT Dallas community.”

Graduate Professional Week begins with a Social and Taco Bar at 3:30 p.m. on Monday The week’s schedule features a variety of seminars about publishing journal articles, work-life balance, dealing with difficult people, professionalism in teaching, cross-cultural communication advice, dissertation formatting, and interview excellence.

“Graduate Professional Week offers informative sessions related to academic success and professional development along with social events to help us get to know graduate students from other departments,” Brittany Boyer, a psychological sciences doctoral student, said. “The work put into planning and organizing these events makes it clear that the office of Graduate Studies is truly invested in improving the lives of graduate students.”