How my Fulbright Scholar Award improved understanding of the career readiness of PhD graduates and led to a host of practical outcomes.
Join Dr Rachel Spronken-Smith, Professor in Higher Education and Geography and Deputy Dean of the Graduate Research School at the University of Otago, New Zealand
⏱️Wednesday, 3 June 2026 12:00 – 1:00 pm NZT
⚫Register here
My Fulbright Scholar Award was used to undertake a comparative analysis of PhD graduates’ perceptions of career readiness.
In 2018 I first visited the US Council of Graduate Schools, based in Washington, D.C. and then spent three months at the University of California, Berkeley. During this time, I led a research project, collecting data from PhD graduates at two US universities and one NZ university. The study aimed to explore:
1) whether PhD graduates had developed a holistic set of graduate attributes during their doctoral study,
2) the reflections of PhD graduates regarding support for career development, and
3) which employment sectors they were entering, their work happiness and which factors were influencing their happiness.
An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed, with survey responses from 136 PhD graduates across the three universities, and interviews with 21 graduates.
In this webinar, I report on key findings, followed by a discussion of some practical outcomes, including the generation of online courses to improve PhD candidates’ preparation for career transitions. I also reflect on how the Fulbright experience broadened my outlook, facilitated international networks, and led to an international higher education work group.