Full course description
Graduate students are more than just researchers; they are emerging professionals navigating a complex web of academic and social expectations. From the moment someone enrolls in a graduate program, they are expected to master not only their specific discipline, but also the unspoken rules and "hidden curriculum" of higher education. While most graduate programs excel at teaching students how to conduct rigorous literature reviews or run complex data analyses, they often fall short in teaching them how to foster the professional relationships that actually sustain a long-term career. This is the exact reason you might see a brilliant, highly capable student burn out from isolation, while another with the exact same academic workload thrives simply because they have an active, empathetic mentor guiding them through the rough patches.
This course on Mentoring is designed to bridge that critical gap. It takes the guesswork out of building professional relationships by breaking down the exact competencies needed to be both a phenomenal mentor and a receptive mentee. You’ll learn the natural life cycle of these partnerships—from that initial, sometimes awkward negotiation phase all the way to a graceful closure—and gain practical, real-world strategies for tackling inevitable challenges like crossed boundaries, miscommunication, and generational divides.