The department’s commitment to the professional development of its graduate students is partly captured in its multi-faceted approach to academic career preparation:

• Student advising is conducted by a team of faculty members, which helps to cultivate a portfolio and knowledge base that is ecumenical and widely applicable to both academic and non-academic jobs.
• Faculty members actively connect students to other scholars in the field, as well as alumni, thereby creating networks of familiarity that students can use on whatever job market they enter.
• The department regularly hosts mock job interviews for students completing their degree, as well as informal workshops to prepare students for the job market.
• IU’s Department of Religious Studies always has a large and active presence at the American Academy of Religion’s annual conference, which helps to support graduate students in the department who are presenting at the conference.
• The Graduate Religious Studies Association (URSA) hosts an annual on-campus conference, which provides an excellent and friendly environment in which students develop their presentation skills, as well as their scholarship.
• Graduate students regularly meet with our director of graduate studies to discuss their intellectual and professional development.
• The department is equally proud and supportive of students who choose to pursue non-academic jobs, whether in non-profits, academic administration, or the private sector.

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