Attention graduate students and postdoctoral fellows! Enroll in the fall 2021 PDP modules to further your professional skills. The 8-week professional development modules are open to all Hopkins graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and come at no additional tuition for students in full-time JHU programs. Find the full course descriptions in SIS or on our PDP Modules page. Direct questions to [email protected].

First Half Modules: August 30-October 25

  • Managing People and Resolving Conflicts (EN.663.660)
    Have you ever had to deal with a difficult person at work or in the lab? Have you been a member of a team on which dysfunction was so bad that it makes television sitcoms look normal? Why are some companies much more productive and pleasant to work with than others? Do you understand techniques or persuasion and how to participate effectively in negotiations? These topics are among the ideas we develop and practice in this class, using a combination of seminar style reading and discussion, lecture and in-class activity. Enroll in Managing People & Resolving Conflicts (EN.663.660), offered in the first half of the fall semester. The class meets on Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. -5:30 p.m

 

  • Improving Presentation Skills for Graduate Students (EN.663.645)
    This course is designed to help scientists and engineers improve their oral presentation skills in a practice-intensive environment. Students will learn how to hone their message, to craft presentations that address both technical and non-technical audiences, and create clear, compelling PowerPoint presentations. All presentations will be recorded for self-evaluation, and students will receive extensive instructor and peer feedback. Graduate students only. This is a 7-week course and is not open to undergraduates. It meets on Wednesdays from 1:30-4:00 p.m.
  • Improvisation for Communication (EN.663.634)
    It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Science and Engineering are disciplines which mandate immersive study, attention to detail, and extreme forethought. Is it possible, then, that as students condition themselves to meet these needs, they compromise their ability to navigate impromptu social situations, public speaking events, and the like? In this class, students will expound upon improv techniques to strengthen their ability to share scientific and technical information fluently and spontaneously without confusion or ambiguity. This class turns to improvisation techniques to develop communication skills, encourage creative problem solving, and support teamwork. Enroll in Improvisation for Communication (EN.663.634), offered in the first half of the fall semester. The class meets on Mondays from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

 

  • Writing Grant and Contract Proposals (EN.663.640)
    Almost regardless of professional setting, proposals are used to secure work. They are the basis of funding in consulting, academic research, many social enterprises, business-to-business commerce, and government contracting. They require huge amounts of time and energy, yet success is far from guaranteed. In this module, you will master some of the techniques required for proposal writing success. Among the topics addressed are funding sources, writing skills that work, required content for all proposals, creating one voice in shared documents, dealing with “best-and-final negotiations and other important topics. Expect to complete several writing assignments for class including at least part of your own proposal. Enroll in Writing Grant and Contract Proposals (EN.663.640) offered in the first half of the semester. The class meets on Thursdays from 4:00-6:30p.m.

 

  • Decision Analytics Fundamentals (EN.663.667)
    This course engages students to make better decisions using data and analytical models. Content focuses on analytical reasoning, logic, preparing/managing data bases, designing quantitative models and visualizing data. Three types of quantitative models – clustering, linear regression, and logistic regression – are emphasized. Students are required to use Microsoft Excel (the course does not teach Excel, so prior experience with Excel will be helpful). Throughout the course each concept is taught using case studies. Enroll in Decision Analytics Fundamentals (EN.663.667) offered in the first half of the semester. The class meets on Wednesdays from 3:00-5:30p.m.

Second Half Modules: October 27-December 23

 

  • Project Management (EN.663.670.02)
    Projects are temporary activities devised to achieve very specific goals in a designated time frame for a specified amount of resources. Often they involve disparate activities, frequently separated by distance and sometimes involving different staff and materials. For the project to successfully meets in objectives, all these items must be planned, coordinated and orchestrated. This module explores the processes and tools available to those who manage projects to optimize outcomes within the primary constraints of time, quality, scope and budget. Class time involves presentations, examples and discussion. Enroll in Project Management (EN.663.670.02) offered in the first half of the semester. The class meets on Thursdays from 4:00-6:30.
  • Decision Analytics Fundamentals (EN.663.667)
    This course engages students to make better decisions using data and analytical models. Content focuses on analytical reasoning, logic, preparing/managing data bases, designing quantitative models and visualizing data. Three types of quantitative models – clustering, linear regression, and logistic regression – are emphasized. Students are required to use Microsoft Excel (the course does not teach Excel, so prior experience with Excel will be helpful). Throughout the course each concept is taught using case studies. Enroll in Decision Analytics Fundamentals (EN.663.667) offered in the first half of the semester. The class meets on Wednesdays from 3:00-5:30p.m.

 

  • Leading Change (EN.663.671)

Change happens, like it or not! It is necessary for progress and the result of innovation, yet change makes individuals and organizations so uncomfortable that most people and groups within organizations vigorously resist change. So the questions become how to cause, how to embrace, and how to lead constructive change in ourselves, our organizations and our communities – in ways that colleagues and would-be colleagues support and contribute toward success. The primary format for learning in this course is seminar style with reading, researching and sharing of information, as well as structured, experiential activities designed to build skills through practice and interpersonal exchange. Class time is devoted to discussion, observation, feedback, additional exercises and presentation. Additionally, participants engage in reflection and explanation of their considerations as the course progresses. Further, participants read several texts and articles, as well as perform extensive research in preparation for assignments. Enroll in Leading Change, (EN.663.671) offered in the second half of the fall semester. The class meets on Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

 

  • Managing Personal Finances (EN.663.666)
    The class in Managing Personal Finance is designed to familiarize the student with the basic concepts and quantitative techniques of personal financial planning and financial literacy. The course begins with a discussion of budgeting and the time value of money and moves on to the basic principles of financial planning in the areas of taxation, consumer credit, housing decisions, insurance, investing fundamentals and retirement planning. Graduate students only. No undergrads. Please join us for Managing Personal Finances (EN.663.633), now offered the second half of the fall semester. It meets on Wednesdays from 4:00-6:30 p.m.

 

  • Demand Discovery: Finding & Creating Customer Value (EN.663.676)
    Do you love your smartphone? You’re not alone. Steve Jobs knew how to design products that customers fell in love with. So did Henry Ford. So why is it so hard? This course focuses on real-world methods of discovering and profitably delivering value to customers. At the heart of any successful business is the identification and profitable satisfaction of unique customer needs. And the ongoing process of identifying, developing, and delivering new value propositions is the basis for continued growth. But this formula can be elusive for new ventures and existing businesses alike. The course presents leading edge methods and techniques to identify sources of opportunity, design new value propositions, and develop profitable and scalable business models—all while reducing venture risk. Developed from techniques used by entrepreneurs and innovative product managers, this course teaches key principles of offering development and innovation, through a combination of readings, case studies, and real-world exercises. The course will involve practical projects for students to identify and design offering concepts, as well as to test and price them. It is designed for students interested in business, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, product management, technology management, venture capital, and management consulting. The class meets on Thursdays from 4:00-6:30 p.m.

 

 

Register today

Register for courses for Fall Semester 2021 online via SIS. If you cannot register through SIS, please go to your school’s registrar and submit an IDR (Inter-departmental Registration) on paper.

“Really enjoyed learning about the different aspects of project management and applying them to our term project. It was helpful having the project to think about how we would individually apply the concepts we learned about rather than just being told different things to do.

Former CLE student on the PDP's Project Management course