Â鶹AV

Â鶹AV.CA / TRaCE phd

About TRaCE Â鶹AV

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TRaCE Â鶹AV is a university-wide project that tracks the career outcomes and pathways of Â鶹AV PhD alumni who graduated between 2008 and 2018. 

Overview

Led by a team at and graduate student researchers, TRaCE Â鶹AV’s focus on both quantitative and qualitative knowledge shows how a doctoral degree can lead to a multiplicity of successful, socially valuable, and personally fulfilling careers in a variety of sectors both inside and outside academia.

As part of its legacy, TRaCE Â鶹AV is also building a mentoring community of PhD graduates who are committed to helping doctoral students and recent grads find their own career pathways.

TRaCE Â鶹AV’s integration of statistical data, narrative knowledge, and community building is unique in the world among PhD tracking projects.

Goals

µþ²âÌýtrackingÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýreporting on the career pathways of PhD graduates, by connecting PhDs inside and outside the academy, and by fostering exchanges of knowledge and knowhow among faculty, graduates, and students, TRaCE Â鶹AV aims to mobilize the learning, energy, and talents of PhD graduates for the benefit of the University and the grads themselves.

The statistics and stories gathered by TRaCE Â鶹AV will enable evidence-based and forward-looking change in graduate programs across the Faculties.

The website helps connect PhD graduates with other grads and current PhD students. The grads’ narratives can inspire other graduates as well as PhD students, allowing students and grads to reach out to those whose stories speak to their interests and aspirations.

TRaCE Â鶹AV's completion coincided with Â鶹AV’s Bicentennial and enabled the University to showcase how Â鶹AV PhD grads are contributing to social and economic advancement and helping to meet global challenges in the 21stÌý³¦±ð²Ô³Ù³Ü°ù²â.

Stages

Stage 1: Survey of PhD Graduates, Summer 2019

PhDs who graduated between 2008 and 2018 were invited to complete a survey that focused on where they are now and what they are doing in their careers. All responses to the survey are kept confidential and are reported only in anonymized, aggregate form.

Stage 2: Data-gathering from the Web, Fall 2019

TRaCE Â鶹AV student researchers worked to complete the statistical picture of PhD career outcomes by searching publicly accessible websites. Access our findings for Stages 1 and 2.

Stage 3: Interviewing the Grads and Sharing their Stories, February 2020-April 2021

Student researchers reached out to grads from their Faculties to invite them to share their stories with the Â鶹AV community. With the consent of the interviewee, interviews were recorded. Selections from the interviews were transcribed, edited for length, approved by the grad for publication, and posted on the TRaCE Â鶹AV website. Browse our archive of narratives to hear grads reflect on graduate school, their career paths, and their advice to current students.

Stage 4: Bringing the Grads back to Â鶹AV, October 2020-ongoing

TRaCE Â鶹AV has brought back  PhD grads from across faculties and career paths as speakers and mentors. TRaCE Â鶹AV’s Career Pathways for PhDs event series partnered with graduate student associations and PGSS to offer events which showcase for in-program graduate students the multiple career pathways available to PhDs after graduation. 

In 2023-2024, the TRaCE Talks, organized by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, invited Â鶹AV PhD alumni working in non-academic careers to share their experiences with the Â鶹AV community in a series of 8 career panels. 

Background

TRaCE Â鶹AV built on two Â鶹AV-led national projects—the TRaCE pilot (2015-2016) and TRaCE 2.0 (2017-2019). The first focused on humanities graduates; the second tracked PhDs (and DMus and MFA grads) in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. The pilot tracked 2,800 humanities PhD grads from across Canada and interviewed 300 graduates. TRaCE 2.0 tracked 1,400 grads from across the country and conducted interviews with 150. The interviews have provided the basis for a large archive of stories about PhD grads’ educational and professional careers. The two preliminary projects have been featured in national publications and have enabled the TRaCE team to develop and fine-tune its methodology. 

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