Welcome!

As a graduate student at Boston College, you have already made an important decision regarding your professional development and have taken a major step in your career journey. Whether you are a master’s or doctoral student, you are developing and refining skills and gaining important experiences that will position you well to pursue opportunities in a wide range of industries. The Career Center is here to help you as you continue your journey. 

Career Center Resources For You

As a graduate student you have access to a number of our offerings. We are eager to help you connect your graduate experience to career opportunities, and ultimately achieve your goals. To get started, we encourage you to leverage the resources below.
 

Handshake

For all graduate students with the exception of MBA and Law students

Handshake is BC’s official career platform, where you can apply to jobs and internships, register for events, and schedule appointments with our career coaches.

Eagle Exchange

For all graduate students

Eagle Exchange is an online platform that fosters connections between students and alumni (including graduate alumni). Use your account to grow your network. 

Career Development Plan

For all graduate students 

The CDP is a type of individual development plan designed specifically for BC graduate students. In the link above, download a PDF of the CDP in the link above and use it to develop your skills, interests, and values and to achieve your career goals.

Career Clusters

For all graduate students with the exception of CGSOM and Law students

The Career Center has seven career clusters to support the diverse interests of BC students. We invite you to explore the specialized resources within each cluster.

Career Coaching

For all on-campus and hybrid graduate students with the exception of CGSOM and Law students

Our team of career coaches is specialized and works with you based on your industries of interest. Make an appointment with one of our coaches to discuss your goals. 

Beyond Grad School

For all graduate students

This research-driven platform is informed by nearly a decade of experience supporting graduate students to launch careers where they are paid for their education and training.
 

Beyond the Professoriate

For all PhD students

This research-driven platform is informed by nearly a decade of experience supporting PhDs to launch new careers with their skills and training. It’s designed by PhDs, for PhDs.

What Are Your Career Goals?

Each graduate student’s career needs are unique, and no matter what they are, we look forward to working with you to help you achieve your goals. Below are three of the most common paths that BC graduate students pursue. Each tab contains helpful resources to assist you as you think about your next steps.

Graduate School

If you are interested in pursuing further graduate study in the arts and sciences, our Graduate School page is a great place to get started. Here, you’ll find important information about admissions criteria, financial aid, standardized tests, and application materials like letters of recommendations, personal statements, and statements of purpose.

Law School

If you’ve determined that law school is your next step, visit our pre-law page for information about researching law schools, the law school application process, the LSAT, and more. Here you can also access the pre-law handbook and schedule an appointment with the pre-law advisor.

 

Meet with a Career Coach

Our career coaches are eager to discuss your plans for further graduate study. 

Make an Appointment

Hiring for academic positions—tenure-track or full-time faculty; lectureships; postdocs—typically begins in the late summer and runs through the following spring. When compared to other industries, the academic hiring process generally requires a greater number of application materials and lasts longer. But, like any hiring process, there are a number of ways to prepare so that you are ready when the time comes to enter the job market:

  • Consult professional resources, like The Professor is In, to learn about best practices for approaching the job market, and Tomorrow’s Professor, to stay on top of key trends in faculty development.
  • Engage with your faculty mentors to learn more about discipline-specific career information.
  • Seek out opportunities to participate in your department’s hiring process, including interviewing candidates, sitting in on committee meetings, and attending job talks.
  • Join your discipline’s professional association to access field-specific information, including hiring trends, salary information, and more.
  • Network—attend conferences; organize conference panels and invite panelists from other universities; connect with leading faculty in your field; reach out to graduate alumni on Eagle Exchange.
  • Pursue opportunities to diversify your graduate experience beyond research, writing and teaching: participate in service projects; serve on committees; get involved in BC’s broader campus life.
     

ImaginePhD

ImaginePhD is a career exploration and planning tool for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. Here, you’ll find intel on a wide range of careers--both academic and outside the academy--and information about how to develop and advance your skills for a number of industries.  

Beyond the Professoriate

Beyond the Professoriate helps graduate students leverage their education into meaningful careers. The platform has resources to support graduate students and partners with institutions to help you land jobs in industry, nonprofits, higher education, the private sector, and more.

 

Meet with a Career Coach

Our career coaches are eager to discuss your interests, experiences, and career goals.

Make an Appointment

From the Career Center Blog
How to Have Your Application Stand Out  Link to article
We have all asked, How do I stand out when there are thousands of applications for that summer internship or
February 07, 2024
BCCareerCenterTeam
An Employer Message from Handshake — What does it mean?  Link to article
Congrats! You’ve been contacted by an employer on Handshake. Now what?Last year employers sent more than 16 million messages to
January 31, 2024
BCCareerCenterTeam
Student Internship Stories: Lamar Duncan, MCAS 2024 – Synchrony Financial, Marketing Business Leadership Program  Link to article
How did you find your internship? I found my internship at the Boston College Finance, Consulting, Marketing, and Business Career
January 26, 2024
BCCareerCenterTeam