Undergraduate Professional Development Badge Program
Are you interested in being one of the first students we introduce to our corporate partners? Do you want a School-sanctioned badge that you can put on your résumé to help you stand out? Do you want access to exclusive events that will help prepare you for the job market? Explore our Undergraduate Professional Development Badge Program.
Each semester, SCI offers a variety of outside-of-the-classroom opportunities that are open to all students and help you gain professional experience and build your personal brand. While these are not mandatory, we believe that a certain amount of sustained participation in these events each year will help you stand out and be exceptionally prepared for your options after graduation. To participate in the program, you will be required to complete the following activities each year:
- Attendance at one networking event each year (freshman through senior year) from an SCI-approved list;
- Achievement of four professional development points per year (each professional development event is worth one point, a semester-long community engagement project is worth four), each year through graduation; and
- A once-a-year review of how you represent yourself professionally (resume, LinkedIn profile, elevator speech).
Satisfying the above requirements each year will enter you into the badge program and yield regular benefits such as exclusive networking sessions with our top employers, free professional headshots, access to apply to a special grant fund for financial support of professional development, and swag you can use for job interviews.
What are the benefits?
Once you sign up for the program, you will need to attend four SCI-approved professional development sessions in your first year (the sessions you attend during SCI week can count) and one networking event, as well as the annual review of your professional presence. For each year that you successfully complete the required activities, you will be invited back for the next year.
In addition, you will also be invited to exclusive networking opportunities and have the ability to apply for a special grant fund to support exceptional non-mandatory experiences within your education (ex. SCI’s Alternative Spring Break, attendance at relevant professional conferences, membership in relevant professional associations, study abroad, etc.).
If you successfully complete the program each year through the fall of your senior year, you will receive:
- A plaque signifying successful completion of the Professional Development Badge program
- Professional swag (such items could include a satchel, shirt, etc.)
- Indication of completion of the program which we can provide to your LinkedIn account
- Business cards you can use during your job search