Professional Development

History MA and PhD students put their training and expertise to use in a wide range of careers. Our graduate alumni have gone on to pursue successful careers in government, law, journalism, education, public service, business, public history, and international commerce. Queen’s PhD graduates can be found on the faculty of many Canadian universities and several international institutions. With the contraction of the academic job market, an increasing number of our graduates are opting to pursue other career paths. We strive to provide opportunities for professional development that will help position our graduates for jobs both within the academy and beyond. Explore the range of resources available and learn how our alumni have put their training in History to use.

Professional Development Workshops and Events

History Department TF Talks: Teaching a Seminar with Drs. Berthelette and Chowdhury

Friday, October 28 @ 1-2 PM in Lower Lounge, Watson Hall

Please join Professor Berthelette and Professor Chowdhury for an informal chat on teaching a seminar. Bring your questions and share your experiences. Confirm your attendance by completing the RSVP form by October 21st.

SGSPA Career Week 2022

Find more information and registration links here.

CVs, Cover Letters, and Mock Interviews for Academic Positions
Monday October 24 @ 9 AM-12 Noon

Understanding the Current Landscape of Employment: From Graduate Student to Workforce
Monday, October 24 @ 2-4 PM

The IDP Launch Workshop
Tuesday, October 25 @ 9-11 AM

Resumes and Cover Letters for Positions in Business, Government, and Non-Profits
Wednesday, October 26 @ 9-11 AM

Your Versatile Degree: Graduates on Working Outside the Academic Sector
Thursday, October 27 @ 9-11 AM

How to find a Postdoc Position
Thursday, October 27 @ 1-2 PM

Grad Skills: Writing and Publishing Journal Articles

Thursday, October 20 @ 1-2 PM in Stauffer Library

Looking to get your Masters or PhD work into a journal but not sure how to start? In this workshop, our experts will talk you through selecting a venue for publication, shaping your work to match a journal editor's expectations, and responding to peer reviewer feedback.

Department of History 2-Part SSHRC Workshop
Watson Hall RM 517

Part 1: Thursday, September 15 @ 1:20-2:20 PM: SSHRC Information Session with Drs. Andrew Jainchill and Rosanne Currarino

Part 2: Thursday, September 29 @ 9-11 AM: Peer Review Workshop (Register for the peer review workshop by Sept. 22) **Mandatory for all HIST 901 students

Academic Phrases: How do I sound more academic in my writing?
Tuesday September 13 @ 12:30-2 PM in the QUIC in Mitchell Hall and @ 6-7:30 PM on Zoom

Write It is a weekly interactive academic writing workshop. We focus on a different writing topic every week and practice different sentence-level strategies and choices by editing a paragraph together.

Focus, motivation, and success
Tuesday September 13 @ 1-2 PM in Stauffer Library 121 and @ 6-7 PM on Zoom

In this session, SASS’ peers share easy strategies to make sure you stay focused and motivated as you look forward to handing in your first assignments before leading open discussion.

Overcoming Academic Culture Shock: Academic Communication
Wednesday September 14 @ 1-2:30 PM in the QUIC in Mitchell Hall

Overcoming Academic Culture Shock Workshops help students uncover hidden assumptions and expectations about academic learning, communication, writing, and integrity at Queen’s. Attendance at these workshops counts toward the requirements for the Academic Connections Certificate.

Grad Skills: Writing at the Grad Level
Wednesday September 14 @ 1-2 PM in Stauffer Library 121

In this workshop, we'll discuss what producing high quality academic writing means in practice. We'll show you what readers are looking for - and how to produce it.

SGSPA Tri-Council Workshop Series:

Sept 8 @ 7:00-8:30pm: Mapping Your Application (guidelines, proposal structure, planning)
Sept 15 @ 5:30-8:30pm: Drafting Your Proposal (proposal components, samples, strategies)
Sept 22 @ 5:30-8:30pm: Editing Your Proposal (structured, guided editing activities)
Sept 29 @ 5:30-8:30pm: Finalizing Your Application (other application components)

All workshops will take place in Ellis Hall RM 324.

By the end of this series, you will have a strong draft of your SSHRC proposal and the skills to support future applications. These workshops are suited to both students experienced in creating funding applications and those new to the craft of fellowship/grant writing. *Note that students are expected to attend all four workshops and come prepared each week to engage in guided discussions and exercises, including peer-editing, and complete tasks between sessions.

Grad Skills: Reading and Notetaking, SASS, September 8, 2022 at 1-2 PM (Stauffer Library) and 6-7 PM (Zoom)

In this workshop, we'll explore how to get all that reading done as a Masters or PhD student. Are there strategies to balance quick reading with understanding? Methods to take notes more effectively so you remember what you've read? Our experts will talk you through everything you need!

Speak Up: Summarizing and Paraphrasing, SASS, September 8, 2022 @ 1-2:30 PM, at the QUIC in Mitchell Hall

Speak Up is an interactive academic speaking skills workshop. In the Fall term, we practice skills for seminars, tutorials, and discussions to increase your confidence when speaking. In the Winter term, we practice presentation skills.

Foundations of Success: Humanities, SASS, September 7, 2022 @ 2-3 PM (Stauffer 121) and 7-8 PM (Zoom)

Join us to plan out your first weeks at Queen's: what do you need to do to succeed in humanities and arts subjects? How do you keep track of your work, write great essays, and prepare for exams--all while finding time to have some fun too?

Grad Skills: Foundations of Grad Academic Success, SASS, September 1 (Zoom) and September 2 (Stauffer Library) 2022 @ 1-2 PM

All the basics of graduate school academic success at a large Canadian university like Queen's. Our experts will show you what to expect, how to succeed, who can help, and how to manage your time as a new Masters or PhD student.

Publishing Workshop Series, The Nineteenth-Century Studies Association Graduate Caucus, Professional Development Scholars in Progress, Friday, July 29, 2022. Join the Zoom meetings here.

Panel 1: "How to Craft a Captivating Article for Journal Submissions" (11:00 AM EST) with Rosanne Currarino (Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era), Rachel Ablow (Victorian Literature and Culture), Lawrence Kramer (19th-Century Music), and Sean Willcock (History of Photography).
Panel 2: “How to Revise a Revise-and-Resubmit for Journals" (3:00 PM EST) with Heloise Abtahi (ESQ), Saree Makdisi (Nineteenth-Century Literature), Monique Morgan (Victorian Studies), and Stacey Floyd (Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies).

Grad Skills: Edit Your Writing Workshop, SASS, Friday, July 15, 2022 @ 1-2 PM

Intercultural Training, QUIC, Tuesday July 12, 19, 26, and August 2, 9, 2022 @ 12:30-2:30 PM

Indigenous Community Research Partnerships Training, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (ongoing)

Course Design/Redesign Institute, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Tuesday June 21 and Thursday June 23, 2022 @ 9 AM-12 PM

The Course Design/Redesign Institute is an intensive workshop that guides participants through a process of designing or redesigning an academic course. The Institute is open to all educators at Queen’s University preparing a course to be taught in the upcoming year.

Searching the NCTR Archives webinar, hosted by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba, Friday, June 17, 2022 @ 1:30-2:30 PM (EST) [12:30-1:30 PM (CDT)], Zoom.

This online training session will include an overview of the NCTR Archives collections, search tips to navigate the AtoM database, and how to apply for access records that are not publicly available. See the NCTR events webpage for full details. Register here.

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Workshop, School of Graduate Studies, May 19, 2022 @ 12-1:30 PM (Zoom).

Finding Motivation: Dissertation Writing Workshop with Dr. Ian Gardner, Department of History and Queen's Writing Centre, Monday May 9, 2022 @ 11 AM-1 PM, Ellis RM 324

The CHA presents Historians at Work: Careers in History Seminar Series, Wednesday April 27 and Thursday May 5, 2022 @ 2 PM (Zoom)

History PhDs are increasingly looking for and finding work outside of the traditional academic job market. The Committee on the Future of the History PhD in Canada is convening a free seminar series to focus on job opportunities for PhD graduates. The speakers include people who have found jobs in government, the private sector, museums and universities.

Government - April 27 @ 2 PM. Register
Museums/Universities - May 5 @ 2 PM. Register

GHSA presents Career Panel #2 - Careers in Heritage with Dr. Michael Wilcox, Dr. Tabitha Renaud, and Dr. Stephen Smith. Moderated by Joanne Archibald. Wednesday March 30, 2022 @ 6-7 PM. Zoom. Registration.

Unsure of your next steps once you graduate from Queen’s with your history degree? This event will provide the chance to hear from History grads who pursued careers outside of academia.

Fort Henry Summer Job Information Session, Tuesday, March 29, 2022 @ 5:30-6:30 PM (Zoom)

Are you staying in Kingston this summer and looking for a summer job in heritage? Join us at this info session to learn about Fort Henry's summer job openings!

Fort Henry is hiring Military Interpreters, Military Musicians, and Domestic Interpreters for the Summer 2022 season (May 9-September 4, 2022). For more information, see Student Jobs available at Fort Henry or the Parks Canada career webpage.

This event will take place on Zoom and registration is required. Register here.

The Conversation Virtual Workshop, Tuesday, March 22, 2022 @ 11 AM-12 noon

Open to faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows interested in learning how to leverage this platform and develop and test potential article pitches. More information and registration.

Finding a Postdoctoral Fellowship, Expanding Horizons, Friday, March 11, 2022 @ 11 AM-12:30 PM

Thinking about a postdoctoral fellowship? Join us for a discussion on the “where, how, and why” of finding and applying to postdoctoral fellowships. Whether you’re a current postdoc or a grad student interested in the prospect of a postdoc fellowship, this event will give you tips and tools to assist you in your search. Register on Expanding Horizons.

The GHSA presents Career Panel #1 - Non History Careers with Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Dr. Heena Mistry, and Lloyd Rang. Moderated by Joanne Archibald. Wednesday, March 2, 2022 @ 6-7 PM. Zoom

Unsure of your next steps once you graduate from Queen’s with your history degree? These events will provide the chance to hear from History grads who pursued careers outside of academia.

Digital History Workshop (2 part series) with Professor Ian Milligan (University of Waterloo), Department of History Workshop, Friday, February 5 and 12, 2021 @ 9:30-11:30 AM (Zoom)

Conferences: Application to Presentation, Department of History Workshop, January 29, 2021 @ 9:30-10:30 AM (Zoom)

Publishing Your Work, Department of History Workshop with Drs. Jeffrey Collins, Rosanne Currarino, Sandra den Otter, Friday, January 2021 @ 9:30-10:30 AM on Zoom.