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Whether looking to pursue a career in industry, business, government, non-profit work, or higher education, the NAU Graduate College can provide you with robust resources and experiences to get you started.
Individuals holding graduate degrees earn more*
The master’s degree is growing significantly: U.S. workforce needs more master’s degree holders**
Not all PhD earners pursue professorships
There is a growing and robust field of scholarship, resources, and employment indicators that show Ph.D. students are successfully pursuing careers outside of academia. Explore a few examples, and specific career resources located in the accordions below.
Click on the images below to learn more about PhDs in the workforce.
Modern Language PhDs^
STEM PhDs^^
History PhDs^*
Explore career resources for graduate students
Resources on the web Accordion Closed
- #alt-academy is a resource for alternative academic careers and is part of MediaCommons. Individuals register under MediaCommons and then are granted access to all services under this umbrella, including #alt-academy, which allows them to browse “clusters” of articles about alternatives to academic careers.
- Beyond the Professoriate* is a community for graduate students and PhDs — at any stage of their career — to connect with like-minded people in a safe space to explore career options. Members access the information, tools, and support they need to launch a meaningful career.
- Beyond the Tenure Track* creates pathways to opportunity beyond the professoriate for graduate students and PhDs through leadership skills training, professional identity building, and mentorship connections.
- Chronicle Vitae* is a service of the Chronicle of Higher Education that advertises a wide variety of academic positions and non-academic positions within the university setting.
- Connected Academics prepares doctoral students in language and literature for a variety of careers.
- Emory School of Public Health supplies a robust list of jobs in the Public Health sector.
- Imagine PhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
- HigherEd Jobs offers a wide range of resources and job postings for anyone looking to start a career in higher education.
- Individual Development Plan provides STEM PhD earners a portal to explore career possibilities and set goals to follow the career path that fits them best.
- National Coalition of Independent Scholars is a non-profit organization providing professional affiliation, support services, and camaraderie to scholars outside of tenured academia. Membership is open to scholars across all disciplines.
- PhDs at work* is a network for professionals with PhDs working across industries.
- PhD career guide* endeavors to bring to light the many career options to PhDs and, more importantly, the information necessary to decide which career path would be most rewarding given their particular set of professional interests and career goals.
- Versatile PhD* is the oldest, largest online community dedicated to non-academic and non-faculty careers for PhDs in humanities, social science and STEM.
*See “Exceptional career services” for more information.
Resources at NAU Accordion Closed
- NAU’s Career Development Office. From career exploration, to resume building, to job searches, the NAU Career Development Office has a career coach to help you find your way.
- NAU Graduate College’s Professional Development Series offers graduate students a wide variety of robust workshops, informational sessions, and resources to compliment their academic studies in areas of professional skills.
Exceptional career services Accordion Closed
Subscription services for all NAU graduate students:
- Beyond the Professoriate is $6 a month or $66 a year. With your subscription, members get to attend members-only forums, live monthly events, and access to a network of PhD mentors. There is an annual “virtual” conference, and other pay-per-service items, such as on-demand videos and group/private coaching.
- Versatile PhD is the oldest, largest online community dedicated to non-academic and non-faculty careers for PhDs in humanities, social science and STEM. To access all resources, this requires an institutional membership. Individuals can join for free, but will have limited access to resources. More information about institutional membership is coming soon!
Free for all enrolled graduate students at NAU:
- NAU’s Career Development Office. From career exploration, to resume building, to job searches, the NAU Career Development Office has a career coach to help you find your way!
- Beyond the Tenure Track is free to use and offers a wide range of videos, articles, and resources for career explorers and active career seekers.
- Imagine PhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
- Individual Development Plan provides STEM PhD earners a portal to explore career possibilities and set goals to follow the career path that fits them best.
- Premium access to the Chronicle of Higher Education by logging in to any computer on campus. Chronicle Vitae is a free service through the Chronicle of Higher Education.
- PhDs at work is easy and free to join. Members enjoy podcasts, blogs, events, and job listing services for positions outside academia.
- PhD career guide endeavors to bring to light the many career options to PhDs and, more importantly, the information necessary to decide which career path would be most rewarding given their particular set of professional interests and career goals.
- Versatile PhD is the oldest, largest online community dedicated to non-academic and non-faculty careers for PhDs in humanities, social science and STEM. Individuals can join for free, but will have limited access to resources.
Sources Accordion Closed
* Ma, J., Pender, M., Welch, M. (2016). Education Pays 2016: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society. Trends in Higher Education Series, 17. https://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2016-full-report.pdf
** Okahana, H., Zhou, E. (2018, June). Data Sources: Four out of Five: A Closer Look into Master’s Degrees. Council of Graduate Schools. Retrieved from http://cgsnet.org/data-sources-four-out-five-closer-look-master%E2%80%99s-degrees
^ MLA Office of Research (2015). Where Are They Now? Occupations of 1996–2011 PhD Recipients in 2013 [Web log post]. The Trend. Retrieved from https://mlaresearch.mla.hcommons.org/2015/02/17/where-are-they-now-occupations-of-1996-2011-phd-recipients-in-2013-2/
^^ Turk-Bicakci, L., Berger, A. (2014, July). Leaving STEM: STEM Ph.D. Holders in Non-STEM Careers. STEM at American Institutes for Research, July 2014. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED545309.pdf
^* Wood, M. (2013). The Many Careers of History PhDs: A Study of Job Outcomes, Spring 2013. American Historical Association. Retrieved from https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-diversity-for-historians/career-diversity-resources/the-many-careers-of-history-phds