The OPTIONS Program

"I have a graduate degree - now what?"

The OPTIONS Program supports engineering graduate students and postdoctoral fellows explore diverse career options.

It consists of the Cohort Program and complementary events.

Graduate Professional Development Coordinator

Joanne Lieu

Email: grad.experience@engineering.utoronto.ca

Cohort Program

The Cohort Program is an opportunity to take a deep dive into career management with a supportive community of like-minded graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Facilitated by faculty and professional development experts, the program provides an opportunity to clarify your interests and aspirations, develop job application materials, and explore career pathways. We offer three different Cohort Programs to address the specific needs of the U of T Engineering community.

Launch Your Career Plan is recommended prior to applying to the cohort programs. However, applicants are welcome to still apply if they haven't completed Launch Your Career Plan.

PhD and PDF - Applications Closed

Explore your options to make decisions with confidence and clarity.

This program provides a dedicated time and structured experience to explore careers in industry with a supportive community of peers. You will launch your career plan, develop confidence and clarity in your next steps, and gain tools and resources to facilitate a transition from graduate school to the workforce.

You will:

Create a Career Exploration Plan that is grounded in your skills, strengths, and goals as well as labour market data
Develop job application materials
Discover networking tools to advance your career exploration.

This program is for PhD students (post qualifying and/or comprehensive exams) and postdoctoral fellows who intend to work in industry or are curious, yet maybe undecided, about pursuing industry opportunities.

If you are interested in an academic position, check out the Prospective Professors in Training (PPIT) Program.

The program provides:

Eight, two-hour, online, live sessions
A short instructional video on resumes and cover letters for viewing on your own time
Two career management tools to develop an individualized, career exploration plan
A one-on-one, 30 min meeting with a career coach (optional)
Personalized feedback on your resume and cover letter
A mock interview, personalized feedback on your interview skills, and access to an interview preparation toolkit
An informational interview with an alumni and a database of informational interview questions
A Peer Success Team to support your career exploration

Applications for the Fall 2024 PhD & PDF OPTIONS Cohort are closed.

MASc - Applications Closed

Take stock of your options in industry.

This program is an opportunity to make time to reflect and take stock of your options to set you up for success after graduate school.

You will:

Assess where you currently are, where you want to go next, and the steps you need to take to get there
Create a Career Exploration Plan to achieve your goals
Develop job application materials
Use networking tools to explore your goals.

This program is for MASc students who intend to work in the industry or are curious, yet maybe undecided, about pursuing industry opportunities.

The program provides:

Eight, two-hour sessions
A short instructional video on resumes and cover letters for viewing on your own time
Two career management tools to develop an individualized, career exploration plan
A one-on-one, 30 min meeting with a career coach (optional)
Personalized feedback on your resume and cover letter
A mock interview, personalized feedback on your interview skills, and access to an interview preparation toolkit
An informational interview with an alumnus and a database of informational interview questions

Applications for the Fall 2024 MASc OPTIONS Cohort are closed.

MEng - Applications Closed

Accelerate your career planning for industry options.

This program is designed for MEng students getting ready to launch their industry career. It equips you with personal and professional skills to navigate your career exploration while complementing your technical expertise.

You will:

Create a Career Exploration Plan to achieve your goals
Develop job application materials
Utilize networking tools to explore your career options
Join a dynamic cohort of MEng students from different departments with diverse career aspirations.

The program provides:

Eight, two-hour sessions
A short instructional video on resumes and cover letters for viewing on your own time
Two career management tools to develop an individualized, career exploration plan
A two-on-one, 45 min meeting with a career coach (optional)
Personalized feedback on your resume and cover letter
A peer-based mock interview, personalized feedback on your interview skills, and access to an interview preparation toolkit
An informational interview with an alumni and a database of informational interview questions
A Peer Success Team to support your career exploration

Applications for the Winter 2025 cohort will open mid-November 2024.

Complementary Events

The Complementary Events are open to all engineering graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. These events provide an introduction to the school-to-work transition, tools to develop skills critical to the success of a professional, and a venue to network with engineering alumni and peers.

Event	Day	Time (ET)	Location
Postdoc Coffee Hour	Tuesday, January 14	2:00 - 3:00 pm	Myhal Terrace
Working in Canada: Study permits, Entry Visa, and more!	Thursday, February 6	12:00 - 1:30 pm	GB202
Careers Beyond the Bench	TBD	12:00 - 1:30 pm	Zoom

Postdoc Coffee Hour

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 l 2:00 - 3:00 pm l Myhal

Warm beverages sound inviting during the Winter semester?
Want to meet fellow PDF peers and learn more about how the Office of the Vice Dean, Graduate Studies supports you?

Come to the 8th Floor Myhal Terrace. We’ll have coffee, tea, and treats available from 2 – 3 PM for you to enjoy while meeting fellow PDF peers. This is a drop-in-style event, so feel free to come when you’re free and stay as long as you’d like.

Working in Canada: Study permits, Entry Visa, and more!

Thursday, February 6, 2026 l 12:00 - 1:30 pm l GB202

Description forthcoming.

Careers Beyond the Bench

Details forthcoming

Testimonials

"The OPTIONS Program provided a how-to guide on exploring next steps. I am more confident to reach out to individuals in different positions to learn about their career paths. I left the program with a better understanding and ability to market my skills and strengths gained throughout my education."

PhD, BME)

"The OPTIONS Program helped me understand my skills from childhood to adulthood by realizing common patterns. It aided me to widen my career possibilities as opposed to the classic ‘industry vs academia’ approach."

(PhD, ECE)

"The OPTIONS program gave me the tools to reflect on my career story from different marketable perspectives. The course helped me to define, schedule, and practice clear and concise actions to create job opportunities aligned with my core values. The introspection was guided by instructors with different fields of expertise. This exposed me to more job possibilities and a better understanding of the path to follow as I transitioned from academia to industry."

(Postdoctoral Fellow, CHE)

"I was in the middle of my career exploration when I joined The OPTIONS Program. For me the program highlighted the possibilities outside of the more “well traveled” career paths and I felt empowered to explore these. Through the program I was able to recognize my skills and how they are of great value for my chosen direction in life."

(Postdoctoral Fellow, AER)

Contact

grad.experience@engineering.utoronto.ca