Partnering for Success with the Baylor Career Center
For graduate professional programs at Baylor University, measurement of student success is not limited to graduation rates; instead, one of the key outcomes for these career-oriented programs is landing a job.
In Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, programs like the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) are hitting it out of the park with equally impressive 100% placement rates following graduation.
“The end goal for our students is to get licensed and to practice wherever they’re going to live. So we want to set them up successfully to get there,” said Emily Sandvall, Director of Administrative Affairs in the Department of Physical Therapy.
In addition to a rigorous, practice-focused curriculum and outstanding faculty instructors, another significant factor contributes to the success of these programs—a robust partnership with the Baylor Career Center.
“Career preparation is an important part of preparing our students for their next step,” Sandvall explained. “Not only are students receiving a great education and having a great experience in the program, but we also want to make sure they’re ready for that next step. It seems natural that we would be highly collaborative with the Career Center in supporting our students. We know it takes a lot of time, energy, effort, and money to get your DPT degree, so we want to set them up for success.”
This collaboration between academic programs and the Baylor Career Center—led by Associate Director Emily Whiddon—begins immediately for the DPT and OTD programs. Whiddon and her team are introduced to students during orientation to set the expectation for the high level of support they will receive from the Career Center throughout their program. During the first trimester, Whiddon partners with program faculty to teach a course focused on professional practice, instructing students on building resumes, interviewing, and creating LinkedIn profiles. While graduation is two years away at this point, many clinical placement sites—particular the more competitive ones—require an application, and students will be lining up their placements up before their first year in the program is over.
Throughout the second trimester, the Career Center continues to partner with students to make sure they are prepared for clinical placements, ensuring their professional profiles are polished and building on the work of the first trimester. These clinical placements are critical for student training but can also lead to future job opportunities.
“We’re always expanding our network. When students receive a job offer from a clinical placement, we keep track of that success. This helps us see which sites could lead to potential employment,” Whiddon explained. “A lot of our students have jobs eight months out from graduation because we have such a great reputation of high-level therapists coming out right after they graduate.”
During the second year of the program, the Career Center’s focus fully shifts from clinical placements to job placements. Whiddon and her team once again partner with program faculty on a professional practice course that prepares students for interviewing, job offer negotiations, and polishing resumes.
DPT student Benjamin Erdmann emphasized how valuable the salary negotiation training, in particular, was to his own career journey. Whiddon personally coached him through this process with multiple job offers, and he ultimately landed a position he is excited to begin.
“The Baylor Career Center team is full of great individuals who truly care about your success,” he shared. “I am so glad that I had someone I could reach out to and receive help from during this stressful process. It brings me peace that, as a soon-to-be Baylor alum, I will always have the opportunity to lean on them for support. I realize that I would not have been able to navigate this process by myself. They will do everything they can to help you along the way!”
The Baylor Career Center is also leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver more resources for students. Associate Director of Business Intelligence Andrew Boles has developed AI agents that integrate Baylor Career Center best practices to deliver feedback on interviews and resumes, with more to come.
“Baylor is cutting-edge in this space. It’s pretty incredible to see what AI has been able to do to help streamline the process,” Whiddon shared. “We don’t want students to think they have to do this by themselves. We have the best practices and are here to help take the pressure off of them, to walk with them every step of the way.”
In their final trimester of the DPT and OTD programs, the Baylor Career Center hosts a virtual job fair through Handshake customized for those specific cohorts. Employer invitations are determined by student preferences, including anticipated location after graduation and specialty interest.
“We want our students to be successful, number one, always. But we also want the employers that we invite to feel like it’s worth their time,” Whiddon shared. “We use specific strategies to know what our students are looking for in an employer and then to get those employers to the fair.”
Even after graduation and landing that first job, the Baylor Career Center continues to be a resource for Baylor students. From orientation to celebrating a job offer, and beyond, the Career Center is a critical partner in the success of professional graduate students. DPT student Gaby Ragsdill said it well:
“As I reflect on my time throughout the program, the Career Center played a crucial role at every stage. From helping me draft my first mission statement to meeting with me before I accepted my final job offer, the team was consistent and present, providing me with actionable recommendations and kind encouragement. It is truly vital for the success of Baylor DPT students to have access to members at the Career Center. I have grown as a professional through my experience with them, and I feel better equipped to step into post-graduation life from their assistance.”
ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Established in 2014, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences seeks to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for all individuals and communities through education, research, and innovation. It includes six academic departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; and Public Health—along with the Division of Health Professions, which houses the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. Robbins College offers 13 bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees, as well as nine graduate programs in partnership with the U.S. Army. Graduate programs in Robbins College are offered in a variety of modalities, including on campus, online, and hybrid.