Core Competencies
At UCSC, we have identified eight Professional Development Core Competencies to help you gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities to equip you for success in graduate school and beyond. These Core Competencies are interrelated and transferable, no matter your degree, discipline, or career goals.
CAREER EXPLORATION & PREPARATION
Graduate training provides pathways to diverse careers. Learn about possible professional directions and develop skills, experiences, and materials to support you on your professional journey.
Contributions to Diversity Statement
Interviewing and Negotiating Job Offer
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
From starting an independent research or writing project to launching a nonprofit or commercial venture, it is important to know how to define the scope and timeline of a project, set realistic budgets, promote your goals, and cultivate supporters.
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Taking initiative, leading others, organizing and managing projects, and setting goals, are important skills that transfer across many professional, civic, and personal areas.
NETWORKING
Academic, professional, and community engagement includes establishing relationships with colleagues and mentors, creating collaborative partnerships, and presenting yourself in ways that highlight your skills and experiences to prospective employers and colleagues.
PROFESSIONALISM
Professional success encompasses not just specialized knowledge and technical skills, but also personal qualities such as ethics, integrity, accountability, and respect.
Canvas Teaching as an Ethical Practice
Disrupting Imposter Phenomenon
Leadership Certificate Program
RESEARCH & DATA ANALYSIS
Mastery of methods and data analysis and the ability to work across multiple fields are fundamental components of research, critical inquiry, and scholarly communication.
TEACHING & MENTORSHIP
Teaching and mentoring are important parts of your graduate training and provide opportunities to develop skills that are applicable to many career paths, such as synthesizing and presenting information clearly and persuasively, providing feedback, advising, and managing groups.
WRITING & COMMUNICATION
Presenting information effectively and persuasively in written, oral, digital, and other formats is an important skill for every stage of your career.
