Occupational and Financial Well-Being

Graduate Career Services can help at every state of planning for life after graduate school.  If you are in need of one-on-one help in your career planning or professional development, it might be time to schedule an appointment.  You can get help with writing resumes/CVs and cover letters, preparing for interviews, and learning tips for successful networking.  Find directions for scheduling an appointment at the main website.

Professional Development Workshops and Resources The Graduate School guides students and postdocs to the resources they need for planning and professional development. Our program offerings and resources provide the key skills that all graduate students need before completing their degree with foundational skills. You can also look at the grad school calendar and filter the options by topic, professional development area, and audience. Professional development areas include career development, community engagement, leadership, mentoring, research, teaching and writing.

MSU WorkLife OfficeThe WorkLife Office accomplishes our mission by offering guidance and education in five areas:

    1. Career Transitions: For faculty or staff, career transition concerns may include: tenure clock stoppage for parental leave; taking on a new role at MSU; advancing or changing careers; among others. The WorkLife Office offers consultation and connects you to seminars and workshops to assist in these matters.
    2. Relocation & Community Connections: If you are new to Michigan State, the Greater Lansing area, Michigan or the United States, the WorkLife Office can help connect you to campus and community resources. Even if you aren’t new to the area, we have plenty of ways to help you locate and access the resources you need.
    3. Family Care: Resources include, but are not limited to, consultation to determine the best care for you and your family’s needs; identifying emergency childcare; sharing best practices for elder care.
    4. Workplace Assistance: We offer guidance for talking with supervisors about flexible work arrangements, recommendations for resolving conflict in the workplace, and identifying MSU policies which may apply to your workplace setting, among others.
    5. Research: We provide access to cutting-edge research about best practices for work-life synergy and develop research specific to MSU’s community.

Financial Wellness. The career dimension of wellness is not only concerned with employment, but also with employment that provides personal satisfaction and fair and adequate financial remuneration.  It can also be a challenge to feel financially well while still pursuing graduate education. Click here for a guide to Financial Wellness for grad students.

Emergency Fellowship Funding. The Graduate School has a limited amount of Emergency Funding available to graduate students for unusual or unforeseen emergency expenses. This funding available for graduate students for unusual or unforeseen emergency expenses and is only for graduate students pursuing a degree program. Students need to be enrolled for the semester in which they receive funding. Please be aware that emergency funds are intended to provide one-time-only support. Please note: If awarded, this fellowship does not provide student health insurance or tuition/fee waivers.