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Complement Your Classroom Learning

As AU graduate students look for ways to complement their academic learning, the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies (OGPS) presents a skill development opportunity. This program is a series of modules focused on topics identified by students and faculty as most important to their continued success at AU and beyond. Read more about the program below or to register. If you have questions about the program that are not answered on this page, please reach out to us at gradstudies@american.edu.

For Doctoral Students

Organized into different tracks, a series of modules can be completed to earn a certificate and badge. Certificates highlight the goals of the program as well as the modules completed and can be included on a CV or in a portfolio. The badge can be displayed on social media profiles like LinkedIn to showcase learning and skill development completed beyond the classroom. Note that since we are in a pilot phase of this program, we are not yet awarding certificates and badges but plan to do so by late spring 2025.

For Masters Students

Masters students have access to the same modules as doctoral students but not tracks or badges. Masters students can receive a completion certificate as well. A full list of modules is included below.

Goals of the Program

  1. Build upon learning outcomes that are already a part of AU master's and doctoral programs.
  2. Articulate skills and knowledge gained through your program to various audience types.
  3. Aid in your career, professional, and personal development to prepare you to succeed in your chosen career path.

Doctoral Skill Development Tracks

Doctoral students can choose a track and access the full module roster included in each. Click the + symbols below to learn more about the modules included in each track.

Masters students can review the modules below the tracks and identify which they would like to participate in through the registration form.

Modules include:

  • Project Management Frameworks & Tools
  • Communication Strategies for Project Managers
  • Financial Literacy for Your Professional Career
  • Identifying & Articulating Transferable Skills

Modules include:

  • Daily Activities to Improve Your Mental Health
  • First-Gen PhD Success (optional)
  • Managing Stress, Pressure, and Burnout
  • Pushing Back Against Overwork

Modules in this track include:

  • Writing Abstracts
  • Revising & Editing Strategies
  • Editing for Others: Giving Feedback & Peer Review
  • Confronting Writing Challenges
  • Conference Posters & Presentations

Modules include:

  • Authorship & Publication
  • Basics of Grant Applications
  • Cultivating Discipline-Specific Skills
  • Literature Reviews
  • Review & Research Articles
  • Documenting & Organization Research & Writing
  • Integrating Sources & Research into Writing

Modules include:

  • Developing & Maintaining a Professional Network
  • Writing a Resume
  • Writing a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Writing a Cover Letter
  • Writing a Diversity Statement
  • Navigating the US Job Search for International Students
  • Conducting Informational Interviews
  • Requesting (or Composing) a Recommendation Letter
  • Negotiating Job Offers

Modules include:

  • Dissertation Planning
  • The Dissertation Prospectus/Proposal
  • Writing Abstracts
  • Literature Reviews
  • Revising & Editing Strategies
  • Receiving & Incorporating Feedback

Modules include (at least four must be completed):

  • Public Speaking
  • Communicating with a Broad Audience
  • Facilitating Effective Meetings
  • How to Have Difficult Conversations
  • The Elevator Pitch
  • When to Ask Your Boss for Help

Modules include:

  • Mastering Verbal Communication
  • Advocating for Yourself
  • Imposter Syndrome: What it is & How to Overcome it
  • Leading With Emotional Intelligence
  • The Art of Managing Up
  • Building Conflict Resolution Skills

Modules include:

  • The Foundations of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
  • Understanding & Respecting Cultural Differences
  • How to Be an Ally for Diversity and Inclusion
  • Inclusive Pedagogy


Ready to register? .
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Complete Modules List

Advocating for Yourself Facilitating Effective Meetings Pushing Back Against Overwork
Authorship & Publication Financial Literacy for Your Professional Career Receiving & Incorporating Feedback
Basics of Grant Applications How to be an Ally for Diversity & Inclusion Requesting (& Composing) a Recommendation Letter
Building Conflict Resolution Skills How to Have a Difficult Conversation Review & Research Articles
Communicating with Broad Audience Identifying & Articulating Transferable Skills Revising & Editing Strategies
Communication Strategies for Project Managers Imposter Syndrom: What is is & How to Overcome it The Art of Managing Up
Conducting Informational Interviews Inclusive Pedagogy The Dissertation Prospectus/Proposal
Conference Posters & Presentations Integrating Sources & Research Into Writing The Elevator Pitch
Confronting Writing Challenges Leading with Emotional Intelligence The Foundations of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Daily Activities for Mental Health Literature Reviews Understanding & Respecting Cultural Differences
Developing & Maintaining a Professional Network Managing Stress, Pressure, & Burnout When to Ask Your Boss for Help
Discipline-Specific Skills Mastering Verbal Communication Writing a Cover Letter
Dissertation Planning Navigating the US Job Search for International Students Writing a CV
Documenting & Organizing Research & Writing Negotiating Job Offers Writing a Diversity Statement
Editing for Others: Giving Feedback & Peer Review Project Management Frameworks & Tools Writing a Resume
Ensuring Success: First-Gen Students in Doctoral Programs Public Speaking Writing Abstracts

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Definitions

  • Microcredential: A series of modules, courses, or lessons focused on a specific topic and typically completed outside of a formal classroom setting. A microcredential let employers, networks, classmates, and faculty know that an individual has developed proficiency in a chosen area.
  • Badge: The culmination of, and visual representation that, an individual has completed the requirements for a microcredential.
  • Lesson: ÌýA topic area relevant to the microcredential being earned.
  • Module: A series of lessons to be completed that are similar or related in their content.
  • Track: The set of modules that, when completed in total, will earn an individual their microcredential and badge.
  • Certificate or degree program vs. microcredential: The primary differences between a certificate or degree program and a microcredential are cost (microcredentials through this program are offered to current AU graduate students free of charge), length of time needed to complete studies (our badges can be earned in as little as a weekend), and microcredentials do not earn an individual academic credit towards their degree.

Frequently Asked Questions

Any graduate student at AU can complete modules(masters and doctoral students) or tracks (doctoral students only) and earn recognition for the achievement.

At this time, there is no cost to review content included in the program. There may be a cost to receive the microcredential and badge in the future but that has not yet been determined.

There are no formal meeting times to complete the modules. All content is presented asychronously, meaning it can be completed on your own time at your own pace.

Registration and all evaluations use . Module content is housed on the platform. Badges and certificates will be awarded through .

Interested students will complete a registration form linked on this site and be added to the Articulate system by the OGPS team. Students will complete their requested modules, complete evaluations and knowledge checks through Qualtrics, and then be awarded their certiciate and badge through Parchment.

After you've received confirmation from the Office of Graduate & Professional Studies that you've been registered, visit this link to sign in and/or reset your password and access the modules: . If you still need to register, .

Most of the content included in this program was created through an NSF grant by Boston University through their . The nature of the grant led BU to share their content, free of charge, with universities across the U.S. Content can be adapted and amended by the universities so content is relevant to their students. The content presented in this program was adapted and amended by Andrew Toczydlowski in the Office of Graduate & Professional Studies.

Each track contains several modules that, when completed, will broaden your understanding of the topic area. Tracks take between two and three hours to complete but can be completed at your own pace. Modules within each track contain "Pause & Consider" sections which are activities designed to help you reflect on your own experiences related to the content.

No, this program is designed to complement classroom learning with skill development opportunities asked for by doctoral students.

No. These modules are meant to complement your academic work, not to replace. The knowledge gained through this program is meant to provide a broad overview on certain topics where as coursework delves more deeply into content.

No. Upon completion you will receive a badge to display on social media platforms like LinkedIn and a certificate to highlight your achievement.

The piece of the process has not yet been finalized but more details will be provided to those who successfully complete their track.