Frequently Asked Questions
The Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) is a professional international organization of higher education professionals leading and providing professional and career development for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars at their institutions.
Full membership in the GCC is available to individuals who provide career and/or professional development support to graduate students and/or postdoctoral scholars at: nonprofit institutions of higher education; medical schools; research institutes; or government or nonprofit organizations in the U.S., Canada, and around the world.
Yes! While GCC historically has been an organization for professionals focused on doctoral-level support, we absolutely welcome members who only work with master's students or only with postdocs. If you have questions about whether you qualify for membership, please contact secretary@gradcareerconsortium.org.
Membership dues the 2022 – 23 year will be $250 for full members, $125 for emeritus members, and $187.50 for trainee members.
Membership dues are collected at the beginning of each fiscal year (August). Our membership year runs August - August. There is no pro-rated membership if you join midway through the fiscal year.
The dues support the infrastructure of the organization including the website and membership features (online forums for information sharing, benchmarking, access to member information, etc.), financial and conference/event operations, portions of conference expenses, and organization-wide initiatives.
The GCC has an Executive Committee with a President, President-Elect, Past-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Communications Officer, Diversity & Member Engagement Officer, and a Professional Development Officer. Elections are held in the spring with new officers taking office on August 1st. In addition there are several standing committees (Communications, Data & Analytics, Governance, Conference Committee, Membership & Belonging, Finance, Professional Development) as well as many projects and programs with a specific focus such as the Diversity Program, The Mentoring Program, The Virtual Career Expo, ImaginePhD, and The Graduate Education Program, the Non-Academic Career Readiness Assessment Project, Carpe Careers Program, PhD Outcomes Program, and the Benchmarking Program. We also have a Regional Directors program who provide regional connection and community for GCC members, and our Communities of Practice, which are member-driven topical or identity-based groups. To learn more about our committees, programs, and projects, visit this page and reach out directly to the committee lead(s) for more information.
Trainee membership is available to graduate students or postdoctoral fellows who are interested in pursuing careers in the profession. Please see the New Member Registration page for details about trainee membership. We also encourage you to check with your university‘s career center or graduate school to see if their staff members are members of the GCC. Working through your career center will also give you valuable exposure to the kind of work we do.