Professionalisation Syllabus

This module has been developed to help prepare School of Archaeology PhD students for their professional careers post-PhD through exploring potential career trajectories, articulating academic and transferable skillsets, honing professional skills, and developing key academic job market materials. The module is also designed to foster community amongst the postgraduates through a collaborative approach to peer review and mentorship. Students may begin the module with a set of materials already drafted or at the start of their preparations for the job search. The module will cover topics including conferences and networking, grant applications, academic publishing and peer review, public speaking and presentation of research, developing a sense of the range of career possibilities within and beyond academic archaeology, assembling core academic job documents, preparing for professional interviews, and developing good writing practices.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Identify and develop key academic skills and knowledge

• Understand the parameters of the academic and non-academic job market in archaeology

• Develop a portfolio of core job documents and create a public academic profile

• Articulate their research in a concise and engaging way