Recruiting and supporting strong graduate students
Graduate students in Arts should be prepared for a range of career options, either inside or outside academe. Anticipating various career outcomes, our students need more opportunities for research practice and professional training, as well as other experience-based learning. Underpinning a strong graduate student experience is competitive, transparent, and fair financial support. To achieve our goals we will pursue the following objectives and associated action plans:
Objective 1
Recruit the right graduate students who will succeed in our distinctive programs
Actions:
- Understand the expectations and motivations of current students
- Document the career paths of graduates since 2009 and use this information in recruitment material
- Work with Graduate Studies and the provost to identify opportunities to attract and fund more international research graduate students
Objective 2
Prepare students for careers inside or outside post-secondary educational institutions
Actions:
- Develop broadly conceived career and professional training opportunities, programs and resources, including more internships, co-op placements, and study abroad options such as co-tutelle programs
- Research and develop new professional master’s programs, including online programs in areas where capacity exists, and where there is support from the unit(s)
Objective 3
Improve student satisfaction and retention
Actions:
- Develop and implement Faculty-wide policies for funding levels and number of teaching assignments
- Design and work toward centrally budgeted, planned, and sustainable five-year funding packages at the doctoral level
- Develop better integration of external funding into student packages
- Improve study, research and social space with dedicated graduate student space
- Identify opportunities for enhancing research support for graduate students
