In Fall 2026, the Graduate School, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Center for Teaching Excellence will offer our Preparing Future Faculty program for graduate students and postdocs. Enrolled students are eligible to register for Preparing Future Faculty for credit. Applications can be submitted via the form linked here.
The Preparing Future Faculty program is open to graduate students and postdocs from all departments at the University of Florida. The goal of the program is to help prepare participants for academic careers in a variety of settings. The focus is on learning about faculty life at different types of institutions, honing evidence-based teaching skills, and expanding your mentoring network. Only a small portion of this program will focus on job materials. If you are interested in a detailed program on the job search process, a self-paced course is available through Beyond the Professoriate. This Fall's course will meet on Fridays, in person (in the CSD Classroom of the UF Public Safety Building), from 9:35 to 11:30 a.m., beginning August 21 and ending November 20.
The Fall 2026 course begins on August 21. Schedule, topics, and more can be found below.
Participants will be selected on a competitive basis. Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program. If accepted, candidates will need to request approval from their advisor to participate in the program. Accepted participants will be notified in mid-July.
APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2026 ARE NOW OPEN!
Interested parties can apply here!
Applications close on July 12.Questions? Please email grad-success@ufl.edu
As a result of participating in this program, participants will be able to:
| Course Component | Week | Weekly Topic |
| 08/21/2026 |
Introductions Interaction and Motivation |
|
| Teaching | 08/28/2026 |
Active Learning |
| Teaching | 09/04/2026 |
Quality Learning Environment |
| Teaching | 09/11/2026 |
Transparency, Accessibility and Online (TAO) |
| Teaching | 09/18/2026 | Useful Assessments |
| Teaching | 09/25/2026 | Effective Feedback |
| Teaching | 10/02/2026 | Tenure & Promotion (with associate provost Dr. Chris Hass) |
| Homecoming | 10/09/2026 | NO CLASS: Homecoming |
| Job Market | 10/16/2026 | Introduction to Portfolios, Teaching Statements, and Research Statements |
| Job Market | 10/23/2026 | Teaching Statement Peer Review |
| Job Market | 10/30/2026 | Panel Discussion: Interviewing & Hiring |
| Faculty Life | 11/06/2026 | Panel Discussion: Faculty Life at R1 Institutions |
| Faculty Life | 11/13/2026 | Panel Discussion: Faculty Life at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions |
| 11/20/2026 | Closing Session |
*schedule subject to change
Attendance Requirement
Participants must attend each weekly meeting. Participants who have not missed more than three sessions may request a certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Mentoring Requirement
Participants must identify a faculty mentor (someone other than immediate advisor) for this program. Participants will be required to meet with their mentors twice monthly for the duration of the program. The program will provide participants and mentors with a list of topics to be discussed (if desired), along with activities that could enhance the quality of the interactions and the outcome of the experience.
The Preparing Future Faculty program is open to graduate students and postdocs from any department at UF. Participants will be selected on a competitive basis.
Application components:
1. Statement of interest in the program (250 words). This statement will allow program staff to see if what you expect to gain from the program corresponds to the learning objectives. This program is not designed with the focus to help with writing the documents for your job application package. Rather, it is a designed for you to understand faculty life in a variety of settings, and to gain valuable teaching skills.
2. Summary of teaching accomplishments (250 words)
3. Summary of research/scholarship accomplishments (250 words)
4. Summary of service/outreach activities (250 words)
5. Current CV
