What We Offer
VH@Duke Internship Program
Secure a competitive, paid semester-long or summer internship that will give you new perspective on research interests, or enable you to explore a potential career avenue.
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Doctoral Innovation Grants
Collaborate with your department’s leadership to secure special grants to enhance academic training in your areas of focus.
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Customized, One-on-One Advising
Reach out to Dr. Maria LaMonaca Wisdom, Director for Graduate Student Advising, for support in navigating academic and professional trajectories.
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Collaborative Research
Find teams, partners and resources for your scholarly pursuits, including Bass Connections, Story+, writing support and research funding.
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Professional Development
Learn about key resources at Duke and beyond that can help you cultivate versatility and launch your career.
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Insight, Advice & Stories
See the VH@Duke blog for perspectives from the community of versatile humanists at Duke.
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Mentors and Networks
Connect with Duke alumni, current students, faculty, and others to support your academic and professional growth.
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About VH@Duke
Versatile Humanists at Duke (VH@Duke) is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Duke Graduate School, and the Duke Provost’s Office. Our mission is to prepare Duke graduate students to make a difference in their careers as humanists, whether inside or outside the academy. Our offerings are geared to help future Ph.D.s in the humanities and interpretive social sciences flourish—in higher education, government, business, the non-profit sector, or wherever their talents and inclinations might lead.
We believe that versatility is just as vital for successful careers within academia as beyond it. The many challenges now confronting higher education compel today’s faculty members and administrators to work in teams, span boundaries, navigate diverse work cultures, and cultivate the habits of effective leadership.
Blog
7 Tips to a Better Teaching Statement (And One Thing to Do Right Now)
It’s never too early for graduate students to start reflecting on and documenting their teaching experiences, even if the job search is still a few years away.
Revising the Ph.D. Student, or “Managing Oneself”
As long-held assumptions about academic institutions and careers fall apart, it becomes more important for Ph.D. students to take control of their own professional growth.
Avoid the Shadow, or Why You Should Care about Your Scholars@Duke Profile
Five reasons to fill out your profile on Duke’s public, searchable database of researchers today.
“Writing for the Future,” Broadening Possibilities
Ph.D. candidate Laura Jaramillo reflects on how a VH@Duke PhD Innovation grant helped her and fellow students overcome writing obstacles and recognize the value of their academic skills in the wider work world.
Keeping the Research and Writing Organized (Enough)
Insights from two recent workshops on organizing your research and writing, such as ditching the fantasy of a “clear day” or a “clear desktop.”
Strategic Dissertators and Artful Advisors
Thoughts on advising dissertations and the students who write them, inspired by a recent VH@Duke panel.
What Do These Recent Humanities PhDs Have in Common?
Three recent Duke PhDs in humanities and humanistic social sciences discuss career satisfaction, work-life balance, and other topics not covered in graduate school.
5 Cents Worth of Advice on Finishing a Ph.D.
Significant life achievements such as earning a doctorate are moments of great celebration, but they can pose unexpected challenges as well.
When the Department Chair Steals Your Desk (and Other Office Problems)
Furniture and windows may be the most visible part of your work space, but the most important part could be what’s not there (other people).
Graduate Study and the Time-Management Matrix
Carving out the dedicated, focused time you need for graduate study is an ongoing process, and requires both self-reflection and a toolbox of carefully chosen strategies.