PRC Student Traineeship Program
The PRC has a long and successful record of training population scientists. Students with interests in population research can benefit from affiliation with the PRC. The PRC can provide trainees with access to specialized software and computer infrastructure, and when possible, fellowship support, and travel funds to attend professional meetings, such as the annual meeting of the Population Association of America. Perhaps most importantly, the traineeship provides the opportunity to become part of a dynamic scholarly community of students, faculty, and the Center’s professional staff.
New in 2023, the PRC is proud to announce the Stackable Certificate in Sociology: Demography in service to PhD-seeking students enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.
Training graduate students in Demography has been a core mission of the Department of Sociology since a group of its faculty founded the Population Research Center 60 years ago. The PRC is one of the foremost places in the nation to learn how to conduct research in population studies and, accordingly, the Department of Sociology is currently ranked by US News as the best graduate program in Sociology of Population.
The Stackable Certificate in Sociology: Demography is designed for degree-seeking graduate students from across campus who wish to highlight their training in population sciences on their transcripts and CVs.
Below, the requirements and expectations are outlined for the PRC traineeship over the course of a student’s graduate training to receive the Stackable Certificate.
PRC Trainee Requirements and Expectations:
- Three core courses in demography/population studies (General Approaches, Demographic Techniques, and the Training Seminar). These requirements should be met within the first three years of graduate enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin. Exceptions will be considered on request to the Training Director.
| SOC 389K - Training Seminar in Demography | Usually taken fall of your 2nd year |
|---|---|
| SOC 389K - General Approaches to the Study of Population | Usually taken spring of your 2nd year |
| SOC 391L - Basic Demographic Methods and Materials | Usually taken fall of your 3rd year |
- Regular attendance at PRC Friday Seminar lectures and other Center sponsored activities.
- Participation in professional activities (meetings, working papers, publications).
- Self identification as a PRC trainee and evidence of your population interests and involvement.
- Acknowledge the T32 grant in publications; enter publications in PubMed Central.
- Participate as an apprentice in a PRC research project apprenticeship during at least one, but preferably two semesters.
Application Process:
- Applications are required from all students wishing to become trainees whether they are advanced students who have already completed their course work, entering graduate students in their first year at UT, or somewhere in the middle of their program.
- Applications for PRC student trainee status will be accepted at any time, even prior to arriving on campus, but usually before completing the bulk of their coursework and/or taking comprehensive exams. Also, to facilitate evaluation and monitoring, the traineeship application must be updated annually in order to maintain trainee status.
PRC Trainee Application FAQ’s
What are the benefits to be derived from becoming a PRC trainee?
- Access to computer facilities and accounts
- Instruction in SAS, advanced research methods, computational office hours
- Apprenticing with funded research projects
- Travel funds for presenters at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America (as funds are available)
- Qualify for PRC fellowships
- Profile page on PRC web site
- Preparation for Research Assistant positions on PRC funded projects
Is the traineeship open to graduate students in any department at UT?
Yes, we hope to involve students from a growing number of departments.
Does being awarded a traineeship involve a commitment of financial support through a training grant or an RA position in current or future years?
No. With our present resources, we are only able to provide fellowships to a limited number of students. However, we plan to use the traineeship as a vehicle for raising training support from outside sources so that an increasing proportion of trainees will be funded with fellowships in future years. Also, we hope and expect that trainees will apply for and frequently obtain fellowship funding from external sources such as NSF, and SSRC, as well as university fellowships available through their departments and the Graduate School. Finally, with respect to RA Positions, these will continue to be offered to individual students by the PI rather than the Center, but probably the best way to secure an RA position is through becoming involved in a project as an apprentice.
