Students

CDO wants students to have the skills to tell their stories and connect their liberal arts education and internship experiences to the skill sets employers are seeking, not just for their first job but for their entire career. An asset of a liberal arts education is that students develop strong communication skills, analytical skills, and flexibility to navigate the constantly changing world of work. CDO has various tools, resources, and programs to assist with this process. We encourage students to come in as early as their first year at Bard and to work with advisers regularly over the course of their four years.

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Quick Links for Career Exploration

Career Development for Bard Students

Career Development for Bard Students

CDO works with all class levels, assisting students with career planning throughout their time at Bard. We invite you to make an individual appointment with us in order to start talking about internships and careers. We are happy to discuss how to find a career that matches your interests, skills, and values, and also help you to build a resume that will get you noticed. Among many other things, we offer:

  • One-on-One Advising and Assessment
  • Events and Workshops
  • Recruiting and Internship Opportunities
  • Graduate School Planning
  • Bard Works Program in DC and New York City

Make an Appointment

To make an appointment you can simply stop by Bertelmann Campus Center 201,
call 845-758-7539, or e-mail [email protected].

Explore

  • Advising Appointments
    CDO offers one-on-one advising with students, and each year we have over 600 individual advising appointments to assist students in creating an individualized action plan for career planning. Even if students aren't sure where to begin, they can make an appointment just to get to know one of our advisers.
  • Events + Networking
    CDO offers over 50 events each year that provide Bard students the opportunity to build their professional development skills and actively network with the Bard community and beyond.
     VIEW THE CALENDAR
  • Jobs + Internships
    Handshake is the job and internship board hosted by the Career Development Office. It's a one-stop-shop for CDO resources, events, and a large database of jobs and internships. Students can activate their Handshake account by logging in with their @bard.edu email address. Bard alumni/ae should contact CDO for access to the site.
    LOG INTO HANDSHAKE
Assessments for Career Exploration

Assessments for Career Exploration

In addition to career advising meetings, CDO offers assessment tools that can help Bard students learn more about their interests, values, and personalities to make informed decisions about academic and career choices. CDO advisers work closely with students to inform them about the available assessments, how they can assist in their self discovery, and to interpret assessment outcomes while building an action plan for next steps. Students interested in these services should contact CDO for more information. We offer the Focus 2 Career Assessment. Students can contact CDO to complete an assessment.

Recruitment Opportunities

CDO hosts several on-campus recruiting opportunities throughout the year and also participates in selective annual recruiting events.

Through recruiting events, students have the opportunity to prepare for, apply, and interview for job and internship opportunities during the academic year. 

  • Tap into the Bard Network
    CDO also posts jobs and internship opportunities specifically for Bard candidates to our LinkedIn and can often connect students directly with those who share these opportunities with our office. CDO also releases a weekly email newsletter to all undergraduates throughout the academic year featuring new internship/job postings as well as career development events.

    We encourage students to keep an eye on the CDO online calendar for upcoming recruiting events including LAUNCH (Liberal Arts Undergraduate Network for Careers & Hiring) and SLAC (Selective Liberal Arts Consortium), and to connect with the Facebook and LinkedIn groups for active job and internship opportunities from the Bard Network.
  • Interview with Top Employers
    LAUNCH employers are recruiting seniors for full-time postgraduate roles and juniors for full-time, paid summer internships.

    Bard College partners with LAUNCH (Liberal Arts Undergrad Network for Career & Hiring). LAUNCH's virtual recruiting events in the fall and winter are open to juniors and seniors and are excellent opportunities to apply and interview for jobs beginning after graduation, as well as summer internships.

    Employers in a range of fields participate, including education, finance, science, research, publishing, technology, nonprofits, and more. Preparation for these events happens during the fall semester, with deadlines in October and January. If you are a junior or senior, please feel free to contact CDO for more information about this opportunity.

Jobs + Internships

In addition to LAUNCH recruiting events, each year CDO hosts a Spring Internship Fair. This campus event offers students the opportunity to meet local employers looking for spring and summer interns. 
 
Employers also hold information sessions on campus for students to learn about postgraduate opportunities. This is a great way for seniors to connect with employers in their fields. 
 
CDO encourages students to apply in the spring for the Community Action Awards with the Center for Civic Engagement. These awards fund summer internships with nonprofits and civic-related organizations. Learn More

Graduate School Planning

CDO is a resource for general graduate school information. Events are held each year to support students in their graduate school planning in addition to information tables and sessions featuring a variety graduate schools and programs throughout the year.

  • Graduate School Planning
    CDO is a resource for general graduate school information. Events are held each year to support students in their graduate school planning in addition to information tables and sessions featuring a variety graduate schools and programs throughout the year. Students are also encouraged to work with faculty and academic advisers for program-specific graduate school advising.
  • Bard Graduate Programs
    Students also have the opportunity to explore Bard's 3+2, 4+1 and Dual-Degree Programs, as well as traditional Bard Graduate Programs, which offer specialized courses of study in the studio and performing arts, the cultural history of the material world, the curating of the contemporary visual arts, environmental policy and education, sustainable business, economic theory and policy, and discipline-based teaching for secondary schools.
  • Graduate School Outcomes
    Bard College students pursue graduate school studies in a variety of programs and institutions. You can download a summary list of the various graduate schools Bard students have attended for the past several years. Information featured in this list has been collected through our First Destination Survey (FDS), Alumni/ae Affairs, faculty and staff, and LinkedIn.

Contact Us

Location: Bertelsmann Campus Center, Room 201
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9AM – 5PM
Contact Us: 845-758-7539 or [email protected]