The Fox Graduate School offers multiple opportunities for professional development. Many of them are described below.

Graduate Exhibition

The Fox Graduate School hosts its annual Graduate Exhibition in the spring semester. Established in 1986, the Graduate Exhibition celebrates research and creative scholarship, in all its aspects, as an essential and exciting part of graduate education at Penn State. You are invited to share your research and creative endeavors with a general audience and take advantage of an opportunity for professional development by challenging yourself to present your work in clear and comprehensible terms to people outside your field. As an exhibitor, you have the option to register for one of the following categories: poster, design, visual arts, video, or music performances. Your college may also have a requirement for you to participate in the Graduate Exhibition, so please check with your program before registering. If you are not presenting, you can learn more about the exciting research, art, and design activities of your fellow graduate students by attending the exhibition events or even serving as a judge.

Visit the Graduate Exhibition website for more information.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program (NSF GRFP) Information Sessions

The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend and a cost of education allowance to the institution.

During these sessions, you will learn how to apply for funding offered by the National Science Foundation to support research-based graduate study in select STEM fields.

For more information about the NSF GRFP, please visit the Graduate Research Fellowship Program website. Stay tuned to the Fox Graduate School Event Calendar and messages from your program about these information sessions.

Grant Writing Workshops

The Fox Graduate School offers three grant writing workshops in the fall semester. Topics on grant writing include Introduction to Grant Writing, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Health. Each workshop includes a presentation on the topic by an expert in the field, with the opportunity to ask questions.

More details about the workshop will be posted on the Fox Graduate School event website when they are scheduled.

Graduate Writing Center Workshops

The Fox Graduate School’s Graduate Writing Center consultants offer several workshops in the fall and spring semesters co-led by instructors from the sciences and the humanities. In addition to the workshops, you are also invited to schedule a one-on-one consultation. You can also participate in the International Write-In at the end of the spring semester.

For more information, visit the Graduate Writing Center website.

Graduate School Mentoring

Success in graduate school depends in large measure on the quality of mentoring the student receives as well as a close and effective working relationship with an advisor. Ideally, a student’s advisor plays a mentoring role, providing advice on a variety of topics including dissertation projects, responsible conduct of research, professional development, and career selection.

This Tool Kit for Effectively Mentoring Graduate Students contains information and resources useful to all parties interested in effective mentoring. The assembled materials address best practices for effective mentoring that consider the dimensions of diversity among graduate students and faculty.

For more information, visit the Mentoring Matters (psu.edu) website.