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The Graduate School

Professional Development

Career Development Resources

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs endeavors to prepare postdoctoral scholars for a range of professional endeavors, from faculty appointments to industry careers, entrepreneurship, government and nonprofit work.

Auditing a Course: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is excited to announce that postdocs can now audit one 3-hour course per semester at no charge.

Per Audit Regulation 02.20.04, section 1.3, Postdoctoral Scholars (postdocs) and House Officers are eligible to audit one (1) three-hour course per semester at no cost. Postdocs and House Officers wishing to audit a course must first submit the Non-Degree Studies (NDS) Application and pay the NDS application fee. The NDS Application is available year round. Please make note of the NDS Application Dates and Deadlines for each semester. NDS Applications submitted after the established deadlines are not guaranteed to be approved.
Once the NDS Application is submitted, the postdoc/house officer must complete the Postdoctoral Audit Request Form to obtain course audit permission from their advisor, course instructor, and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Postdocs and House Officers must submit the Postdoc Audit Request Form prior to the semester’s Census Date. Postdoc Audit Request Forms received on or after Census Date are not guaranteed to be approved.

Postdocs and House Officers are not eligible for NC State Employee Tuition Assistance programs.

Postdoc Audit Request Form

Postdoctoral Research Symposium

The UNC-system institutions which have postdocs (UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State University, NC A&T University, East Carolina University, and UNC Wilmington) are collaborating to provide the first UNC-system wide Postdoc Research Symposium.

Plans are underway for the 2025 Postdoctoral Research Symposium. Information will be shared as details are confirmed, and this site will be updated as well.

Professional Development

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) strives to enhance, support and promote the postdoctoral experience at NC State University. In doing so, OPA hopes postdocs will realize their potential during their tenure at this university and utilize their postdoctoral appointment as a way to foster their independence as scientists, scholars and researchers.

One program OPA offers that is specifically for postdoctoral scholars is The Postdoctoral Readiness to Enter the Professorship Program (i.e., The PREPP). The PREPP is a University of North Carolina system-wide initiative that involves monthly online panel discussions during the fall and spring semesters. Panelists consist of assistant professors, department heads and administrators who share strategies for how to obtain and be successful in faculty positions. Information about The PREPP is sent out via the NCSU Listserve (and postdocs are encouraged to read emails sent from this listserve as this is a main communication avenue between OPA and our postdocs). UNC-system institutions who have postdoctoral scholars are also sent information so that their postdocs can attend as well.

Registration is available for The 2025 Spring PREPP series at: go.ncsu.edu/professional-development-registration. To receive the Zoom link for the sessions, you must register to attend.  Please note that “The PREPP” series is towards the end of the list of workshops the Graduate School is offering in the spring, so be sure to scroll down the list.  Attached is a flyer that you are welcome to print off and share with other postdocs in your departments and units.

Following are additional ways in which OPA encourages postdocs to more fully develop their professional development skills, goals and self-awareness during their postdoctoral assignment.

Online Professional Development

National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)

The mission of the National Postdoctoral Association is to advance the U.S. research enterprise by maximizing the effectiveness of the research community and enhancing the quality of the postdoctoral experience. To achieve this mission, the NPA works to: 

  • Develop and advocate for implementation of policies that promote positive and constructive change in the postdoctoral experience. 
  • Promote collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on postdoctoral scholars.
  • Develop a self-sustaining, democratic organization to enhance all stakeholders in the postdoctoral community. 

NC State has been a sustaining member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) since August 2008.

Anyone (postdocs, graduate students, faculty, or staff) with an ncsu.edu email address can join the NPA as an affiliate member at no cost.

Follow this link to create an account or see instructions here.

Once a member, check out the NPA’s Postdoc Resource Library for a variety of resources to help you get the most out of your postdoc. Also, view presentations from past NPA annual meetings as well as past webinars on a range of topics!

Faculty Professional Development

Interested in pursuing a career as a faculty member? NC State University offers a variety of resources to help enhance your skills and give you a competitive edge when pursuing a faculty position. We encourage our postdocs to take advantage of the following opportunities:

Teaching Certificate: Non-credit teaching certificate offered through the Graduate School. Postdocs are welcome to either pursue the Teaching Certificate, which they can note on their CV, or take the workshops that are of interest to them. There are also opportunities to gain experience mentoring undergraduates through the Graduate School’s Teaching Programs.

Preparing the Professoriate: Postdocs can participate in the Preparing the Professoriate Program offered through the Graduate School. This nationally recognized program is designed to provide an immersive mentoring, teaching and future faculty preparation experience.

Office for Faculty Excellence: The Office for Faculty Excellence offers an array of workshops and resources which postdocs can take advantage of. They work to promote the success of faculty at all of their career stages, even those who are not yet in full-time faculty positions.

Resources for Negotiating the Faculty Offer: This list, which was compiled by Dr. Alan Marsh, Director of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, provides resources that can help postdocs learn useful ways to negotiate a faculty offer.