Course Prepare yourself on the movement from a PhD in Health to a career in non-academia

The course  C253: Prepare yourself on the movement from a PhD in Health to a career in the public/private sector is being offered by the Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, 2025.

Criteria for participation: University degree in medicine, dentistry, nursing, or Master’s degree in other fields and/or postgraduate research fellows (PhD students and research-year medical students).

Aim: To support PhD students in their career decision-making process by increasing their career awareness, and to prepare them for the transition between academia and industry/public sector jobs.

Learning outcomes: 

• Development of career skills to be able to make informed career decisions
• Identify transferable skills achieved during doctoral training
• Explain and communicate the value of these skills within as well as outside of academia
• Reflect on their own possible career directions
• Apply the different aspects of the course when marketing their skills in different situations
• The participants should gain an understanding of common career areas for researchers, and the requirements companies have when employing PhDs.

Workload: The full workload of the course is expected to be 45hours

Content: This course focuses on preparing you for a job outside of academia and we will be working with skills awareness, job market understanding, career decision making and suggestions on how you can prepare for the transition.

The course includes presentations by alumni working in the industry who will present and discuss their non-academic career paths. Employers will reflect on the skills required and sought after in their organization, and you will be working identifying your own specific skill set and what makes you employable. We will also discuss networking; how you present your research and how you prepare your application material.

The teaching form is a mix of presentations and group work. The alumni will represent different companies and different backgrounds

Instructors: Vibeke Broe & Miriam V.Kobbersmed, AU Career PhD & JR + alumni presenters and company representatives 

Venue: Aarhus University, Aarhus (other)

Participation in the course is without cost for:

• PhD students, Health Research Year students from Aarhus University
• PhD students enrolled at partner universities of the Nordoc collaboration
• PhD students from other institutions in the open market agreement for PhD courses

Course dates:

• 11 November 2025 09:00 - 16:00
• 12 November 2025 09:00 - 15:30
• 19 November 2025 09:00 - 15:30
• 25 November 2025 09:00 - 15:30
• 26 November 2025 09:00 - 15:30