Highlighting Career Support and Skill Development in Your Syllabus

Including statements about campus offices and resources on your syllabus is an important way to help students learn what support is available to them. When you name these resources, you send a clear message that you value and encourage students’ use of them as part of their learning experience.

To further increase student awareness and engagement, we encourage you to include a statement about the Career Design Center on your syllabus. Doing so helps normalize career exploration as part of the academic experience and signals your support for students’ professional development.

Sample Syllabus Statement: Career Design Center

The Career Design Center supports students as they explore majors and career paths, build professional skills, and prepare for internships, jobs, and graduate school. Students can access one-on-one coaching, connect with alumni and employers, and use a wide range of tools and resources designed to support career development throughout their time at UB. To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit 259 Capen Hall, Log on to Bullseye powered by Handshake or explore the Career Design Center website and the Career Design Studio.

To encourage students awareness and usage of the Career Design Center services and resources we hope that you will include a statement on your syllabus about the office!

NEXT LEVEL

Helping students connect what they are learning in the classroom to career readiness is a powerful way to deepen learning and increase engagement. When students understand how course content and assignments build transferable skills, they are better able to articulate their strengths, see the relevance of their academic work, and apply their learning beyond the classroom.

One effective way to make these connections clear is by mapping course learning outcomes and/or key assignments to the NACE Career Readiness Competencies. Doing so helps students recognize the professional skills they are developing—such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and professionalism—while also reinforcing the value of your course in preparing them for what comes next.

By explicitly naming these competencies in your syllabus or assignment descriptions, you help students translate academic experiences into language they can use for résumés, interviews, and career conversations, while reinforcing career readiness as an integral part of their education.
Check out our Career Readiness Syllabus Statement template for more information and an example from a faculty member who has embedded career competencies into her syllabus.