“I had no idea until now”: preparing doctoral students in education for the professoriate

Abstract

PurposeWith the number of doctoral degrees awarded increasing and full-time and tenure-track jobs decreasing, doctoral graduates are entering a fierce job market. Lack of knowledge and support about navigating the job market can impact graduates' mental health and chances of securing long-term employment, but many graduates claim their programs provide little professional development in this area. The purpose of this study is to understand doctoral students' job preparation after participating in a departmental seminar.Design/methodology/approachThe current explanatory sequential mixed methods, single case study investigated students' perceptions following a year-long seminar in job market navigation.FindingsStudents attending the seminar did not differ from those who did not attend on feelings of preparedness, number of application documents completed, or curriculum vita quality scores.Research limitations/implicationsResearchers may have limited ability to implement graduate student interventions given the power structures of faculty life and the lack of graduate student time.Practical implicationsThe results suggest informal seminars may not be enough to support doctoral students' job market skills.Social implicationsThis has implications for department chairs and deans to create faculty development opportunities to pivot to a student-centered culture rather than relying on faculty or external support to help graduate students prepare for the job market.Originality/valueThis case study provides insight as to how graduate students' job market anxieties are at odds with the current demands and structure of educational doctoral programs.