The Preparing Future Faculty and Scholars (PFx) course is designed to help graduate students explore careers in and outside of academia, build career readiness confidence, consider the value and future of higher education, and critically engage with an interdisciplinary group of peers and mentors through seminars, workshops, events, and other opportunities.
Overview
Preparing Future Faculty and Scholars (PFx) seeks to better prepare postdocs, MFA, and doctoral students for career opportunities once they have completed their training. While for some students, this will be to prepare for a career in the academy, the course is designed to also acknowledge the growing trend of MFA and doctoral students seeking scholarly employment outside the academy.
For that reason, PFx has four objectives:
Benefits
In its varied seminars, workshops, and other opportunities, the PFx program complements the skills you develop in your discipline through tools and resources for growth in:
Eligibility Requirements
In Fall 2023 we will be offering two sections of PFx:
FAQs
When will the seminars take place?
Fall and Spring Semesters. Fridays from 1:00 – 2:30 pm
What is the time commitment for PFx?
Most students will find the demands of the seminars to be reasonable with a moderate amount of time spent on assignments. Activities completed through PFx help to prepare students for successful career pathways.
Will PFx make a difference in job prospects?
We intend that students who have completed the PFx course will report that participation provided them with an edge in applying for and securing academic and non-academic positions and a better understanding of the demands of their chosen career paths. The success of PFx programs at other institutions indicates that we will be a success in achieving our goal.
Who can participate in PFx?
UA students who are:
Can PFx count toward my degree?
At this point, PFx will not count toward your degree.
Will PFx help me be a better teacher? Is the program about effective teaching?
Although teaching is covered in PFx, it is only one topic in the course. For those seeking to improve their teaching, we would recommend attending professional development sessions offered via GradACTS and considering applying for the College Teaching Certificate in the College of Education.
This is my last year, can I still participate in PFx?
Absolutely! While it is ideal to enroll in the PFx program around the midpoint of one’s time at UA, even in the final year, PFx seminars, workshops, and events are still extremely helpful for students to better understand the expectations and realities of their future career possibilities as they prepare for that transition.
Who should I contact to ask any additional questions?
Email Tierney Jenkins (tjenkins2@ua.edu), Director of Graduate Programming if you have any additional questions.