The Graduate Student offers a comprehensive range of programs and resources designed to enhance the professional, academic, and personal growth of graduate students. In addition to learning expertise in a discipline while in graduate school, graduate students benefit by taking advantage of opportunities to develop “transferable skills”, those skills that prepare them holistically to excel in their careers, to become leaders, and to lead a balanced life.
Graduate Student Life and Development Calendar
Visit the calendar for more events and programs not listed below.
MSU Workshops for Graduate Students
A current list of workshops held by MSU that relate to graduate studies, will be shared at the link above. Many departments provide helpful workshops and seminars for graduate students and you hope you will take advantage of these resources.
CAREER BUILDING
Accelerate to Industry
Accelerate to Industry, or A2i, is a professional development program dedicated to enhancing graduate and postdoctoral training for careers outside academia. First developed by the North Carolina State University, this program connects graduate students with industry companies to explore employment opportunities. Our A2i programming offers a selection of Industry Job Search Strategy workshops and luncheons for the first cohort. Topics include networking, resume and CV writing, interviewing and communication skills, offer negotiation, and more.
Preparing Future Faculty
The Preparing Future Faculty is a certificate program coordinated by MSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning and is a cooperative effort between the CTL, the Graduate School and MSU Libraries. It offers improved understanding of teaching and learning, including faculty roles and responsibilities; interaction with peers and faculty across disciplines; and improved preparation for faculty positions and the job market.
Equipping Future Entrepreneurs
The mission of the program is to empower researchers, foster an entrepreneurial mindset, provide resources for technology transfer and commercialization, and ultimately prepare participants for project launch or licensing. This program aims to empower researchers to translate promising ideas and technologies into marketable products, foster an entrepreneurial mindset among participants, provide resources for technology transfer and commercialization, and prepare participants for project launch or licensing.
DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH COMMUNICATION SKILLS
3 Minute Thesis
3MT® is a competition that helps graduate students develop their verbal communication skills and challenges graduate students to present a compelling verbal presentation of their thesis or dissertation topic and its significance in just three minutes.
Graduate Student Research Symposium
The Graduate Student Research Symposium (GSRS) is an interdisciplinary forum designed to highlight the quality and diversity of graduate-level research comprised of oral and poster presentations. The GSRS serves as an opportunity for graduate students to gain experience giving presentations and to receive meaningful feedback from an evaluative panel of established MSU faculty members and researchers in a conference-style venue.
Image of Research
A picture can say more than a thousand words … and sometimes more than an entire dissertation. The Image of Research competition gives students the opportunity to engage creatively with their research, share behind-the-scenes views of their research processes, or portray their academic study in visual form. Finalists will be displayed at the Union Art Gallery on the second floor of the Union.
Individual Development Plan
The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is commonly used in industry to help employees, students and postdoctoral fellows define and pursue their career goals. MyIDP is a unique, web-based career-planning, and free tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.
Graduate Teaching Assistant Training Workshops
The Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Training Workshops are held twice a year and are designed to introduce students to the techniques and skills necessary to be effective instructors in the University environment and promote excellence in undergraduate education at Mississippi State University. The workshop includes two parts: the general training session, and the Classroom certification/teaching simulation session.
TRAVEL AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDS
Travel Assistance Grants for Graduate Students (TAGGS)
The Graduate School offers Travel Assistance Grants for Graduate Students (TAGGS) annually, for each of two travel periods. Grants are offered in support of Master’s and PhD graduate students who plan to travel to national or international conferences and give a presentation, and have departmental support.
Graduate School Professional Development Award
The Graduate School Professional Development Award aims to support professional development opportunities of graduate students attending Mississippi State University. The award aims to encourage students requiring financial assistance to participate in a virtual conference to present their research or in other professional development opportunities.
GRADUATE STUDENT WELLBEING AND COMMUNITY
Graduate Student Association (GSA)
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) provides programs and services to enrich the graduate student experience and promote, support, and represent graduate student interests and values. The GSA hold monthly meetings to provide a forum for graduate students to network with peers, learn about valuable campus support services, and express concerns on both academic and non-academic issues as well as sponsors multiple events throughout the year.
First Generation Graduate Student Series
This program is open to all first-generation graduate students and includes three “how-to” sessions that will provide students with information on how to navigate graduate school. By incorporating workshops, guest speakers, and panelist from various departments, the information provided will be beneficial for all first generation Master’s or PhD students.
Graduate Student Event Weeks
The Graduate School and The Graduate student Association designate a week in the Fall and Spring semester to celebrate MSU’s graduate students and offer development opportunities designed for graduate students. Past events include professional development workshops, fitness classes, mental health workshops, virtual trivia night, free professional headshots, free food events and social events to meet fellow graduate students.
Grad Guide - Graduate Student Peer Mentorship Program
The Grad Guide program offers students a space to help peers navigate the graduate school environment, learn from each other, and build community. Students are asked to meet five times during the semester and work through a provided Workbook to foster productive discussions and exchange experiences. The program will pilot with the College of Arts and Sciences in Fall 2024, and will be open to all graduate students in Spring 2025.
Graduate Student Awards Banquet
The Graduate Student Awards Banquet is an annual event hosted in the spring to recognize the accomplishments of graduate students and faculty. Students can get nominated for Graduate Research Assistant, Graduate Service Assistant and Graduate Teaching Assistance, and each college selects their Hall of Fame student of the year.
For questions regarding Graduate Student Development Events/Programs please contact:
Lilli Harris, Assistant Director, Graduate Student Development
Email: lharris@grad.msstate.edu
Phone: 662-325-1622
Meghan Wolf, Program Coordinator, Graduate Student Development
Email: mwolf@grad.msstate.edu
Phone: 662-325-4984