The GradPathways Institute

The GradPathways Institute (GPI) for Professional Development provides innovative programming based on 8 core competencies. This comprehensive program is designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars succeed in their chosen career paths and at UC Davis. Nationally-recognized, the GPI has served as a model for other graduate student and postdoctoral professional development programs across the nation.  Programming for each competency is provided through the Institute and in partnership with UC Davis campus units.* 

The GradPathways Institute supports an enhanced professional development ecosystem at UC Davis by providing programming and by promoting and supporting the efforts of campus organizations that similarly serve the career and professional development needs of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The GPI is committed to expanding experiential opportunities, creating community through the new Graduate Center, and making visible - and equally valuing - the broad array of ever-changing career paths for advanced degree holders.

The GradPathways Institute is Graduate Studies' premier professional development program and is also supported through a combination of candidacy fees and donor sponsorship.   

*Partners include: the Internship and Career Center, the Center for Educational Effectiveness, the University Writing Program, Counseling Services, the Ombuds Office, the Graduate School of Management, and the Mike and Renee Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Our Mission is...

• to provide and enhance an exceptional educational experience for all UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars by providing critical skills preparation in eight core competencies essential to academic and career success,

• to level the playing field in graduate education by providing equal access to knowledge and resources to support success in graduate school for graduate students of all backgrounds,

• to ensure that all graduate students and postdoctoral scholars can confidently take charge of and communicate the direction of their professional development and career-readiness,

• to support graduate student and postdoctoral scholar success in their graduate programs of study or training at UC Davis and in their chosen career paths,

• to foster a vibrant and supportive community of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the Graduate Center at Historic Walker Hall,

• to reinforce and complement faculty efforts to prepare students and scholars for a broad array of careers in all sectors including academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations, and

• to collaborate with faculty, and to engage current graduate students and postdocs, as advisors, consultants, and employees, to assist in the development and programming of GradPathways Institute events and activities.