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 me to schedule a meeting!
Nate Ward
Faculty Director for Professional Development
Associate Professor, Psychology
Upcoming Workshops
Developing Resilient Learners: Academic Coaching in Office Hours and the Classroom (Pedagogy Series)
Monday, February 9, 2026, 12:00 - 1:00 PM | In-Person | Register
Presented by the Tufts StAAR Center
This workshop is designed for TAs, graduate instructors, and graduate students intending to pursue instruction as a career. The presenter will share strategies and tools from the realm of academic coaching for engaging with students' learning processes, both in the classroom and in office hours.
Work/Life Balance for Remote and Part-Time Graduate Students
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Virtual | Register
Presented by the Tufts StAAR Center
In this interactive virtual workshop, participants will explore the challenges and opportunities of being a remote or part-time graduate student. Students will leave with tools to develop a time management plan that is distinct to them, that takes into account balancing the unique needs of managing their academics with the other aspects of their lives. Students should bring with them their current time management system for hands-on work during the sessions.
Podcasting for Public Scholarship
Friday, February 13, 2026, 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Virtual | Register
Presented by the Tufts Tisch Library
Podcasts can be a way of engaging public audiences with your research interests. During this workshop, we’ll help you to conceptualize podcasting as a form of public scholarship, and walk through the process of starting a podcast.
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.