Path to the Professoriate

A Transformational Experience for First-Year Doctoral Students

The Path to the Professoriate Program (P2P) engages up to 100 first-year Ph.D. students to demystify the route to becoming an Assistant Professor in all academic disciplines and to support a thriving educational experience throughout a student’s PhD journey. Students have found P2P to be a transformational experience that supports a dynamic, enriching, and inclusive academic learning environment. The program is open to all first-year PhD students in any academic discipline. P2P participants will gain critical tools, resources, and connections to thrive in graduate school. Additionally, P2P students will receive a $1,000 stipend split between the Fall and Spring semesters following the completion of the P2P program requirements.

Application Deadline: August 21, 5:00 p.m.. First Session: Friday, September 11 at 3:00 p.m.. Applications are welcomed from all incoming or matriculating UC Berkeley doctoral students.

Apply today

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Program Overview

P2P participants will learn about critical resources, guidance, and connections to succeed and thrive in graduate school. They will also be a part of a dynamic and supportive learning community to support their doctoral journey.

Throughout the academic year, students will have access to workshops that support academic success, including preparing for qualifying and/or preliminary exams, writing group support, graduate funding opportunities, grant writing workshops, wellness events, and a plethora of doctoral resources. Students will also learn from graduate students, recent graduate, postdocs, and alumni on navigating and succeeding throughout the doctoral journey and the later stages of the PhD.

They will also gain insights and advice from faculty and working professionals on pursuing post-PhD academic and alternative careers, understanding early-career tenure-track experiences, and demystifying the ​faculty tenure and hiring process. Finally, participants will be a part of a dynamic and supportive learning community to support their doctoral journey.

Testimonials

“As the first in my family to go to graduate school, I would have had a much harder time during my first year at Berkeley had it not been for the Path to the Professoriate. This program demystified some of the hidden curriculum of graduate school—both academically, and, more importantly, in terms of long-term professional development—and, what’s more, I met some great people in it. I will be referring to my notes from P2P for years to come.”

“The P2P program allowed me to foster community with other graduate students of color. Although we were on zoom, I created long-lasting friendships with other students. It was a safe space where I could be authentically myself, something I sometimes cannot be in my department. My participation in this program made me feel more confident about my existence in the academy and my contributions.”

“I have immensely benefited from this program. This is the only campus endeavor that I have been involved with, and it has been part of the reason that I feel connected to campus despite being physically away from Berkeley.”

“This was a truly inclusive experience that I am fortunate to be a part of. Every week, I found something from the weekly topic that resonated with me as a non-traditional student.”

“P2P helped me find my footing as a first year grad student and instilled confidence where there had been some lacking before.”

“​​I felt validated that my anxieties about graduate school were shared by others, and we were able to navigate them together.”

Questions?

Contact [email protected]

This program is facilitated by the Office for Graduate Diversity at UC Berkeley

Contact Martha Chavez