This page contains materials from my postgraduate module ARCH50030 Professionalisation, which I taught to PhD students at UCD in Autumn 2024. I am including the syllabus and reading list, the assignments, and relevant handouts, both so that PhD students and ECRs at other universities can access these resources and so that faculty considering developing similar grad courses at their own institutions have access to these materials.
As of Autumn 2024, I know such classes have been offered by anthropology departments at Harvard, Washington University in St Louis, the University of Georgia, and the University of Wyoming. Please email me if you have developed or are developing such a course and I will add you to this list.
In 2026 I developed a case study for the UCD-published volume Embedding Employability in the Curriculum: Evidence, Practice and Case Studies from University College Dublin describing the module and my recommendations for developing similar modules elsewhere. You can download a pdf if you click on the "access case study" button below.
As of Autumn 2024, I know such classes have been offered by anthropology departments at Harvard, Washington University in St Louis, the University of Georgia, and the University of Wyoming. Please email me if you have developed or are developing such a course and I will add you to this list.
In 2026 I developed a case study for the UCD-published volume Embedding Employability in the Curriculum: Evidence, Practice and Case Studies from University College Dublin describing the module and my recommendations for developing similar modules elsewhere. You can download a pdf if you click on the "access case study" button below.
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Beck, Jess. (2026). Preparing PhD students for the professoriate: Navigating the hidden curriculum of the academic job market. In Embedding Employability in the Curriculum: Evidence, Practice and Case Studies from University College Dublin. Edited by E. Wilson, A. Clancy, J. Jones, and J. Keenahan. College of Social Sciences and Law, University College Dublin.
In this case study, I introduce Professionalisation, a PhD student seminar I first taught in the School of Archaeology at University College Dublin in Autumn 2024. Here, the process of “professionalisation” refers to refining the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in navigating the professional world post-PhD, including crafting job documents, publicly presenting research, and preparing for and conducting interviews. To provide a roadmap for faculty interested in developing similar professionalisation courses across other disciplines and institutions, I outline my course learning objectives, structure, and assessments. I conclude by offering advice based on my experience and argue for the relevance of deliberate training in professionalisation at the postgraduate level. |
Syllabus and Reading List |
Assignments |
Research Presentations |
Postdocs |
Publishing and Peer Review |
Writing, Productivity, and Time Management |
