Mentorship. Career exploration. Research and creative opportunities. Internships.
Undergraduates in the URI College of Arts and Sciences have a unique career preparedness advantage through a new Career Readiness program, guiding you through your four-year journey from college to career.
Your Career Journey
Year 1: Onboarding
In your first year, you will be introduced to career development resources and matched with a peer mentor to support you in negotiating college life. URI 101 is an introductory course created by the College of Arts and Sciences that starts you on the path to thinking about career options.
Year 2: Laying the Foundation
In your second year, you will participate in workshops connecting your major to careers, learn about personal branding, participate in “micro-internships” (on-campus and short-term opportunities), and engage with alumni through career networking events where you can ask questions and start to map your own path.
Year 3: Building Skills
Your third year immerses you in practical skills for landing a job: craft a resume, optimize search rankings on LinkedIn, visit leading Rhode Island companies and organizations to network with hiring teams, and pursue internships to help you experience the workplace and build your skills outside the classroom.
- Our Internship Fund can cover costs associated with transportation, professional attire, or offset the need to work a paying job during the internship period.
- Lunch and Learn Chats are virtual sessions where students join executives and other professionals to discuss careers, core skills, and transitioning to the business world.
Year 4: Ready to Launch
In year four, you will put together all the skills you’ve learned in previous years to reinforce learning opportunities and prepare for the job market. Getting the Job Workshops teach you how to prepare for interviews, negotiate salaries, and manage their own personal finances. They can engage in learn the basics of coding through a course called “Coding with R” and a course on data visualization where they learn how to read and interpret data to further develop their career toolbox and critical thinking skills.
Career Readiness Program
The Arts and Sciences Career Readiness Program offers students a variety of one-credit classes aimed specifically at building marketable skills and preparing for the workplace. Earn your Career Readiness badge by completing your workplace readiness course and three one-credit skill-building courses. Once your courses are verified, you will receive your digital badges to share in your email signature and LinkedIn profile for future employers to see.
Courses
- Workplace Readiness
Our one-credit workplace readiness classes help students to develop writing, networking, media, and culturally-competent workplace skills. They also offer opportunities to engage with field experts and prominent URI alumni working in a variety of industries. Classes are tailored to students in the social sciences, arts and humanities, and communications.
- DSP 101 – Excel Data Analysis for Everyone
Microsoft Excel is a powerful and ubiquitous tool for organizing and analyzing data. The basics of Excel can be applied in nearly any line of work, and can help students as they proceed through their college careers. - DSP 103 – Introduction to R for Everyone
R is a statistical programming language widely used in industry and academia. This class gives students with no prior programming experience a strong foundation in this powerful language. - DSP 102 – Power BI Data Analysis for Everyone
Microsoft Power BI enables users to turn data into striking visualizations. Students learn the Power BI basics, which can be applied in future classes or after graduation.