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 humanistic 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.
Read about VH@Duke in Change: The Magazine of HIgher Learning
Blog
Reimagining Doctoral Education at Duke
Findings and recommendations from a Duke initiative to plot a course for Ph.D. training in the 21st Century.
Archival Expeditions, Unexpected Discoveries
Peer mentoring, public scholarship, and connecting with other areas of Duke were just a few of the benefits of a research collaboration between two history Ph.D. students fostered by a Rubenstein Library initiative.
Let’s Talk about Nonacademic Jobs
PhD students shouldn’t feel like they need to hide when talking about nonacademic jobs. How can we foster a climate where these conversations aren’t a big deal?
When Thank-You Notes Aren’t Enough
Make the time to follow up with those who have helped your professional journey, even (or especially) well after your interaction with them.
Teaching Public Scholarship
Graduate students need more curricular and advising support on engaging with broader audiences. One faculty member discusses his effort to help address this need.
Not your Grandma’s MLA (or AHA)
With both organizations’ annual conventions in Chicago at the same time next month, you won’t be able to go to every session. Here are some VH@Duke recommendations to help you plan.
Assembling Your Search Party (Part II): Nonacademic Jobs
First identify your core supporters (PhDs not required), and continue to grow your professional network expansively, creatively, even playfully.
Assembling Your Search Party (Part I): Academic Jobs
Which texts (beyond The Professor Is In) and people should you consult when you are preparing your academic job search materials?
Learning the Art of Storytelling through Exhibit Curation
Working on an exhibit about Durham in World War I helped one VH@Duke intern hone her skills for disseminating history to a broader audience.
False Starts, Real Stories, and New Possibilities
A Ph.D. candidate in Romance Studies shares what he encountered during his Versatile Humanists at Duke Internship in Bologna.