UW Graduate School

Core Programs

Cultivating Capacities for Success

Core Programs—the Office of Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School—utilizes a holistic approach to supporting graduate students through student-centered programming, timely resources, and intentional tri-campus partnerships. We strive to promote the well-being of our diverse graduate student body in our tri-campus network, so they can thrive and be successful at the university and beyond.

Our mission statement

CoreTeam

Core Programs Team (left to right):

  • Kelly Edwards, Ph.D.
    Associate Dean & Professor
  • Jaye Sablan, M.A.
    Assistant Director
  • Ziyan Bai, M.Ed. Ph.C.
    Graduate Research Assistant

Find us: UW Seattle, Loew Hall, Rooms 302 and 304
Contact us: cpinfo@uw.edu or 206.543.1703
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Use #UWGradSuccess on Twitter

Strategies for Graduate Student Success

Core Programs shares quick tips to support your academic, professional, and interpersonal success as a graduate student!

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Individual Development Plan

The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a written guide to help provide some structure when working through your goals, as well as guide you in letting your professors, mentors, family and friends know how best they can support you in reaching your academic, personal, and professional objectives.

Leadership Development

Each year, 8–10 graduate students volunteer to participate in our First-Generation Graduate Student Advisory Board and our International Graduate Student Advisory Board. They serve in leadership roles to inform and shape our initiatives and programming that support first-gen and international graduate students.

      • If you are interested in serving on our advisory boards, contact us at cpinfo@uw.edu

Public Speaking & Presentation Skills

We co-organize quarterly Scholars’ Studio events with the UW Libraries Research Commons.  These are fun, informal events featuring 10 or more graduate students doing lightning talks on their research, all connecting to a common theme.  Attend an upcoming event or submit a proposal for an opportunity to present your research!

Professional Development

Core Programs offers a variety of professional development events, several of which we co-host with campus partners.  Below are examples from the past few years:

      • Community College Careers Panels and Networking Receptions
      • Communication Skills for International Graduate Students
      • Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate Student Career Development Boot Camp
      • Translating Your Research Into Career Opportunities – For Graduate Students and Postdocs in STEM Fields
      • Teaching-Focused University Careers – a collaboration between GO-MAP, Core Programs, and Gonzaga University
      • Navigating the Job Search When You’re LGBTQ
      • Finding Funding for International Graduate Students
      • Thriving in Graduate School with Peer Mentoring

Core Programs On the Road

Need a tailored presentation or workshop for your graduate program? Whether you’re a graduate program advisor, faculty or student, Core Programs can work with you to develop a one-of-a-kind event to meet your needs! Some past presentation themes:

      • Demystifying graduate school
      • Utilizing the individual development plan
      • Getting the mentoring you need
      • Using social media for career development

Additional Resources

Find Your People

It makes a difference to find like-minded students to build community with and share experiences.  You may even make connections with peers outside of your graduate program.  There are several student organizations, campus programs, and social media sites that can facilitate such connections.  Below are examples:

Mentoring

Finding a good mentor and being a good mentor are both critical to the success of many graduate students, in school and beyond. Core Programs provides a wealth of resources to help graduate students do both.

Resources for GPAs and GPCs