Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Special Publications Series. Graduate school can be an exciting, challenging time for students, but it can be scary and intimidating at the same time. Navigating Graduate School and Beyond: A Career Guide for Graduate Students and a Must Read for Every Advisor outlines the steps and skills necessary to succeed in graduate school and in your career. "Insider tips" help students better understand their advisors, leading to more productive advisor/student relationships. The importance of sowing well now with good habits and management techniques in order to reap big later is the central focus of the volume.

Long seen as proving grounds for professors, PhD programs have begun to shed this singular sense of mission. Prompted by poor placement numbers and guided by the efforts of academic organizations, administrators and faculty are beginning to feel called to equip students for a range of careers. Yet, graduate students, faculty, and administrators often feel ill-prepared for this pivot. The Reimagined PhD assembles an array of professionals to address this difficult issue. The contributors show that students, faculty, and administrators must collaborate in order to prepare the 21st century PhD for a wide range of careers. The volume also undercuts the insidious notion that career preparation is a zero sum game in which time spent preparing for alternate careers detracts from professorial training. In doing so, The Reimagined PhD normalizes the multiple career paths open to PhD students, while providing practical advice geared to help students, faculty, and administrators incorporate professional skills into graduate training, build career networks, and prepare PhDs for a variety of careers.

The Black Student’s Pathway to Graduate Study and Beyond: The Making of a Scholar is an informative and ambitious book designed to help Black prospective and current graduate students pursue graduate degrees successfully. The book covers broad topics ranging from admissions policies, standardized tests, networking, mentorship, financial options, qualifying and comprehensive exams, proposal and dissertation writing, publishing, gender and race, socialization, and campus culture. This volume is organized into five graduate pathways: Pathway I: Embarking on the Graduate Admissions Process; Pathway II: Confronting Race and Gender Disparities in Graduate Education; Pathway III: Persevering to the Graduate Degree; Pathway IV: Adjusting to the Socialization of Graduate Education; and Pathway V: Preparing for Success Beyond Graduate Education. The book calls Black students’ attention to some of the barriers they may encounter along the pathway to a graduate degree. The pathway to success can be linear or nonlinear since students travel different journeys and are at different vectors on the continuum. The primary audience for this book consists of Black prospective and current graduate students, graduate deans, admissions counselors, recruiters, and faculty advisors in both black and white higher education institutions. The secondary audience includes high school students, guidance counselors, and social and religious organizations. Furthermore, this book can serve as a handy resource for undergraduates who are interested in pursuing a graduate degree. ENDORSEMENTS: "This book will be helpful not only for students seeking a meaningful experience in graduate and professional school, but perhaps more importantly, institutions that desire to create productive pathways for Black students to the advanced-degree workplace. The chapters unpack important lived experiences that should be carefully considered." — Jerlando F. L. Jackson, University of Wisconsin-Madison "The Black Student’s Pathway to Graduate Study and Beyond: The Making of a Scholar makes key contributions to the extant literature. By underscoring Black graduate students’ engagements with Academe, the scholars provide nuanced perspective through an array of contextual lenses (e. g. admissions; race and gender; socialization; transition) that are endemic to higher education in general, and the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) setting in particular. Critical Race Theory is the theoretical framework that provides scaffolding upon which the volume’s scholars theorize best practices, strategies, and solutions that are authentic representations of their experiences. The pathway is an appropriate metaphor for this book—the scholars have provided illumination; it is incumbent upon us to initiate the journey." — Fred A. Bonner II, Prairie View A&M University

An in-depth look at the lives, experiences, and professional careers of Black mathematicians in the United States. Erica N. Walker presents a compelling story of Black mathematical excellence in the United States. Much of the research and discussion about Blacks and mathematics focuses on underachievement; by documenting in detail the experiences of Black mathematicians, this book broadens significantly the knowledge base about mathematically successful African Americans. Beyond Banneker demonstrates how mathematics success is fostered among Blacks by mathematicians, mathematics educators, teachers, parents, and others, a story that has been largely overlooked by the profession and research community. Based on archival research and in-depth interviews with thirty mathematicians, this important and timely book vividly captures important narratives about mathematics teaching and learning in multiple contexts, as well as the unique historical and contemporary settings related to race, opportunity, and excellence that Black mathematicians experience. Walker draws upon these narratives to suggest ways to capitalize on the power and potential of underserved communities to respond to the national imperative for developing math success for new generations of young people.

Drawing on case studies and narrative reflections, contributors offer crucial insights that can guide higher education and schools of education on structural and conceptual shifts in approaches to leadership, research, teaching, learning, and student and staff well-being.

Higher Education Careers Beyond the Professoriate is one of the first collections to explore PhD career versatility within higher education. The twenty-three contributors represent diverse disciplines, institution types, professional roles, and intersectional identities. Each thoughtful and personal essay explores firsthand what it means to remain in higher education, yet not in the traditional role of a professor. Topics include establishing new career paradigms, well-being and work-life balance, blended roles and identities, and professional work around advocacy and inclusion. Unifying the essays is the idea that career diversity is intertwined with other diversity discourse, yielding a broad-based but critical examination of careers in higher education administration. Though the doctoral landscape continues to change, a self-determined, values-driven attitude remains essential. This book offers powerful insight into cultural and structural barriers that inhibit institutional transformation and obscure the real range of PhD futures. Frank about both challenges and opportunities, these essays reveal how letting go of “track” thinking opens a constellation of possibilities and many paths to meaningful work and a fulfilling life.

The first book to provide first-generation, low-income, and nontraditional students of color with insider knowledge on how to consider and navigate graduate school Is Grad School for Me? is a calling card and a corrective to the lack of clear guidance for historically excluded students navigating the onerous undertaking of graduate school—starting with asking if grad school is even a good fit. This essential resource offers step-by-step instructions on how to maneuver the admissions process before, during, and after applying. Unlike other guides, Is Grad School for Me? takes an approach that is both culturally relevant and community based. The book is packed with relatable scenarios, memorable tips, common myths and mistakes, sample essays, and templates to engage a variety of learners. With a strong focus on demystifying higher education and revealing the hidden curriculum, this guide aims to diversify a wide range of professions in academia, nonprofits, government, industry, entrepreneurship, and beyond.