Professional Development Opportunities for Graduate Students

Employers in academia and industry are looking for far more than classroom knowledge and research lab experience today. Gone are the days you can wait until your final year to prepare for your career. To be competitive today, you are expected to have published peer-reviewed journals, secured grants, engaged in leadership development, participated in community outreach, and gained valuable communication and presentation skills. YOU NEED TO STAND OUT.

At the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, we believe your professional development is essential to your success. In fact, we have a full time staff member dedicated to the professional development of graduate students and to making impactful connections with industry partners for the mutual benefit of our graduate students, partners and program. Below you'll find more details in the following areas of professional development:

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Professional Development Courses and Programs
Career Paths for Graduate Students in BME
On Campus Resources
Student Organizations, Leadership and Volunteer Opportunities at Purdue
Career Opportunities
Conference Travel Funding

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Professional Development Courses and Programs

BME Individual Development Plans (IDP)

BME Milestones and Timelines

Career Guidance Paths for Graduate Students in BME

Thoughtful planning with informed and mentored decision-making can lead to the most effective preparation for career development. These recommendations are meant to supplement the mentoring guidance provided by your faculty advisor and thesis committee members.

Regulatory Affairs for Medical Devices

Students enrolled in any of the graduate programs offered by the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering can participate in this sequence of courses designed to educate participants on practical regulatory affairs at both the initial approval and later compliance stages. Students gain valuable in-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements as well as guided practice with effective regulatory document submissions. This advanced education in quality and regulatory compliance will prepare students for rapid integration into regulatory affairs teams in critical areas of the industry.

BME Research Seminar Series
Instructors of weekly seminars in biomedical engineering host faculty from the larger biomedical engineering community to present cutting-edge research.

Events Calendar

BME Summer Seminar Series
This seminar series is a chance for students to refine presentation skills and to address critical questions that may be raised by audience members.

BMEGSA Research Symposium
This is an annual event sponsored by the graduate student organization. The day agenda features presentations by senior graduate students, poster session, career panel, networking lunch and keynote speakers.

Grant Writing Course for Nationally-Funded Fellowships
NSF Grant Writing course provides hands-on experience and mentoring to students as they prepare to apply for nationally funded fellowships like the NSF and NIH.

Lunch-and-Learn Sessions
Graduate students have many opportunities to learn about industry, academia, career development and entrepreneurship during meal-time workshops. Some examples of these workshops are: Networking at a Conference, Landing your Dream Job, Being your Best You: Managing your Personal Brand and Building a Stellar LinkedIn Profile just to name a few.

Internships
As experiential opportunities are becoming a necessity for students to become competitive in either a technical or research oriented career in industry, we are starting to see the number of graduate students participating in experiential opportunities increase.

On Campus Resources

Center for Career Opportunities
Helps students prepare for all aspects of career planning and job search including job listings, resume critiquing and mock interview services.

Graduate Student Professional Development
The Graduate School’s Office of Professional Development offers nearly 250 workshops annually, addressing topics such as: Communication & Networking, Mental Health, Teaching, Research, Industry & Academic Career Preparation, Grantsmanship, and more! In addition to workshops, this office hosts two major competitions, including Purdue University’s annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) research competition, and Say It In 6, a competition aimed at highlighting the Purdue graduate student experience. Looking for an opportunity to feature your research? Check out the Graduate School’s premiere graduate research magazine, InnovatED. To discover all of the professional development opportunities available to Purdue’s graduate students and postdoctoral trainees, please visit: https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/professional-development/

Purdue Graduate Student Government: Professional Grants
The PGSG offers grants to assist students with costs associated with their academic and professional development. These grants are for items such as journal publishing fees, printing posters, cost of special courses etc.

Purdue College of Engineering Dean's Teaching Fellowship or other Teaching Fellowship Opportunities

The Dean's teaching fellowship is a two semester program which is awarded to senior Phd students.

Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR)
A program developed to ensure an environment of research integrity.

Technology Realization/ Entrepreneurship Programs
Want to learn more about patents, licensing and building a technology start-up company? This seminar course series is focused on the discussion of pertinent issues related to technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

Writing Lab
Purdue's award winning Writing Lab offers over 200 free resources including writing and teaching, research, ESL (English as a Second Language), grammar and mechanics, job search, and professional writing assistance.

College of Engineering Professional Development Opportunities for Graduate Students
The College of Engineering offers a variety of professional development opportunities including communication workshops, Future Engineering Faculty and Professional Workshop Series and much more.

Student Organizations, Leadership and Volunteer Opportunities at Purdue

Students who engage in leadership and community outreach activities better understand themselves, learn the impact of social issues, and will learn to lead with compassion and critical thinking skills.

Organizations & Involvement

Civic Engagement & Leadership Development

Volunteer Opportunities

Career Opportunities

Individual Development Plan--Science Careers

MyIDP is a unique, web-based career-planning tool offered through Science Careers tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.

Pathways to Science

Identify pathways to careers in academia, industry, clinical medicine, and policy & government and discover what they really have to offer.