Professional Development Resources
At Tufts, we strive for the holistic development of our graduate students. The GSAS Dean's Office aims to offer opportunities for students’ professional development as well as provide space to engage with peers and faculty outside of their discipline and cohort.
Are you a grad student interested in talking about professional development? Please contact us to schedule a meeting!
Nate Ward
Faculty Director for Professional Development
Associate Professor, Psychology
Benny Belvin
Director, Professional Development and Alumni Engagement
Upcoming Workshops
Conference Poster Design: Exploring Principles and Formats
Friday, February 20, 2026, 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Virtual | Register
Presented by the Tisch Library
This is an interactive session focusing on elements and principles of poster design. Additionally, you'll review different formats and the reasons you might choose one or the other, from the standard paper-on-a-page to emerging formats including visual abstracts that focus on networking or quickly spreading ideas.
Responding to Student Writing as a TA or Instructor (Pedagogy Series)
Monday, February 23, 2026, 12:00 - 1:00 PM | In-Person | Register
Presented by the Tufts StAAR Center
Do your instructional responsibilities include responding to undergraduate student writing in the form of essays and papers, lab reports, discussion boards, co-authored papers, theses, or other formal or informal writing projects? This workshop will provide a pedagogical basis and introduce concrete strategies for responding meaningfully to undergraduate student writing.
Visit the Graduate Student Events calendar for a listing of additional workshops! Questions? Email gsas@tufts.edu.
Graduate Workshop Series
The GSAS Dean’s Office works closely with our campus partners to offer a broad range of professional development workshops to support you. These workshops are designed to help students acquire transferable skills which focus within six domains including inclusive excellence; scholarly expertise, leadership & collaboration; communications skills; career preparation; and personal development.
Some of the workshops planned include cultivating your mentorship network, resume and cover letter and networking skills, creating your professional website, time management, presentation skills, reading and note-taking skills, and so many more.
GSAS Programs
Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT)
The Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT) prepares Tufts doctoral students for an academic career in teaching at the university level.
Graduate Research Excellence at Tufts (GREAT)
The Graduate Research Excellence at Tufts (GREAT) program is a summer program that spans two and a half weeks and aims to cultivate outstanding graduate researchers at Tufts.
AS&E Resources
Career Center
AS&E and SMFA graduate students have access to career development opportunities and resources that will help establish career readiness and prepare students for career success.
Research Competition
The Graduate Student Research Competition (GSRC) supports the research of graduate students by providing funding for certain expenses.
TA and RA Resources
Teaching Assistantships
Teaching assistants (TAs) are doctoral students who are paid a stipend to teach part-time at the university as part of their training. Some master's programs have similar hourly positions for students called graduate assistantships.
Research Assistantships
Serving as a research assistant (RA) is an important part of the professional development and training that Tufts offers graduate students. Doctoral student RAs receive a stipend as part of their training. Master’s students are eligible for similar research roles, called graduate assistantships, and are paid hourly.