Professional Development Online Suite

Looking for convenient online modules that may count toward your Professional Development (PD) Requirement?

Check out the following options, developed by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) and/or adopted from MyGradSkills.ca.

Follow the links below to register via eClass and complete the modules at your own pace. Note that all PD sessions or activities must be approved by your department.

Succeeding in the Workplace: Intercultural Competencies for Employment (2 hours)

This three-module course examines Canadian workplace culture with a focus on Alberta. It will help you explore factors that shape the workplace. It offers guidance around the unspoken, unwritten rules of workplace conduct. Each module has activities that will help you to better understand the concepts explored and reflect on your own ideas about the workplace.

Register for Succeeding in the workplace »
Building Your Nexus: Professional Networking (1 hour)

Networking is more than exchanging information; it’s a pathway to creating mutually beneficial long-term relationships. Whether you plan to parlay your graduate degree into academic or non-academic career opportunities, establishing a professional nexus is critical. In this two-module course, you’ll examine the importance of strategically building your professional networks and learn how to interact with others and grow your network.

Register for Building you nexus »

Entrepreneurship + New Venture Creation (1.5 hours)

In this module, we'll introduce the concepts and practices related to entrepreneurship — whether your goal is working in a not-for-profit, starting your own business, or being a leader within an organization. This course provides an overview of concepts that any organization needs to manage so that it is sustainable and thriving. This knowledge will make you a more desirable employee and a more competent leader.

The six major themes of the course are designed to give you a basic understanding of:

  1. Entrepreneurship and the associated characteristics of entrepreneurs
  2. Opportunity identification
  3. Marketing and sales
  4. Pre-launch considerations such as funding sources
  5. Legal considerations and founder issues
  6. An introduction to customer discovery and business modeling

Register for Entrepreneurship + new venture creation »

Intellectual Property: An Entrepreneur's Guide (1 hour)

This course offers an introduction to intellectual property. You will learn basic definitions and explore types of intellectual property, including:

  • Trademarks
  • Patents
  • Trade secrets
  • Copyrights

This course will help graduate students, entrepreneurs and/or inventors use their knowledge to make strategic decisions about the application for intellectual property protection.

Topics you will explore in this course include:

  • How to file for various types of intellectual property
  • How to determine if you have intellectual property
  • What rights intellectual properties give a society, company or inventor

Register for Intellectual property »

New! Package Your Research to Build Your Brand (2 hours)

This remote course is designed to help you think outside the box when promoting and presenting a talk for a wide range of different audiences.

Topics will include branding yourself and your research expertise, as well as identifying unique ways of presenting your work based on an intended public group.

(Developed by GTL-4 scholar Erin Ratelle.)

Register for Packaging your research to build your brand »

For a wealth of other learning opportunities that may count toward your PD Requirement, visit our Events and Training page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the PD Requirement for graduate students, contact:

Professional Development Team
Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
Email: gradpd@ualberta.ca