Walk-in Counseling Hours Available
Monday through Friday
9:00 am – 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Center for Careers & Professional Development
Anderson Hall, Second Floor
LW Minor Street
Prairie View, TX 77446

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 519 MS 1028
700 University Drive
Prairie View, TX 77446

Foundation

The Center for Careers and Professional Development (CCAPD), a.k.a. Career Services are established upon the Guided Pathway-Purpose First Framework (Completion by Design, 2016). Through this paradigm, CCAPD assist students design a clear and coherent map that leads them to successfully enrolling, completing, and transitioning from College-to-Careers. For this reason, Career Services starts at students’ entry points to Prairie View A&M University and remain a part of the team that guides them throughout their academic journey—thus, keeping them on track to completion and transition (Completion by Design, 2016). Below are the “Adapted Principles of Guided Pathways:”

  • Ensures students are given the tools for success
  • Accelerates entry into coherent programs of study
  • Minimizes time required to integrate into a college-to-career pathway
  • Customize and contextualize transition directives
  • Integrate student supports with instruction
  • Leverage technology to improve learning and program delivery
  • Continually monitors progress and provide proactive guidance
  • Reward behaviors that contribute to completion

Focus

Prairie View A&M University’s main focus is student success. Career Services (CCAPD) is the office dedicated to provide career guidance, planning, and development to students. Career guidance is delivered through in-person or virtual counseling sessions.  Through the process of career planning, students are offered assessment tools that evaluates their interests and serves as a guide to making a career decision (Watts & Sultana, 2003). Additionally, these tools assist students with creating career goals, deciding on a major, and embarking on the appropriate trajectory to match students to opportunities that produce personal and professional growth.

Services Offered

Prairie View CCAPD offers both in-person and virtual career services. Our core services include the following: 1) career counseling by appointment, 2) career and employment technique workshops, 3) assistance with employer internships, 4) career fairs, 5) career assessment tools, and 6) working with academic departments to assist internship-seeking students. Embedded within the core services are training in resume writing, interviewing, job searching, networking, salary negotiations, self-marketing, job keeping, professional development, soft skills training, and professional branding.

Vision Statement

The vision of Prairie View A&M University’s Career Services is to be an essential channel through which students experience personal and professional growth amidst purposeful practices, personal reflection, transformative engagement and lifelong career development.

Mission Statement

Creating partnerships with students in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., faculty, staff, graduate/professional schools, and employers) to empower students’ ability to launch careers and meet life’s challenges; while adding value to global citizenship, experiencing success through discover, and developing meaningful career paths. Encouraging the ability to engage in lifelong self-discovery and career development.

Philosophy

It is our belief that with the assistance of ardent, professional and directed career services, all students can be successful. Career development & planning is an ongoing process that involves:

  • Understanding oneself and others;
  • Identifying and persevering through barriers;
  • Developing interpersonal skills, professional competencies, leadership proficiencies, and focused networks;
  • Adapting to the changing world and integrating into the global eco-system;
  • Understanding career possibilities, navigating next moves and successfully transitioning;
  • Creating and capitalizing on opportunities; and
  • Crafting a future through lifelong learning and premediated choices

Goals – Strategic Plan (2021-2025)

The goal of Career Services and Preprofessional Programs is to integrate our focus into the vision, mission, and goal of the university. In doing so, we aspire to deliver services and guidance in accordance with our identified role and the strategic plans of the institution and its leaders. Thus, the following goals and objectives are set forth in this document.

Existing Goals

Goal 1: Increase career readiness opportunities to assist students with their college and post-graduation employment goals.

Goal 2: Administer programs and services, in a professional manner, to achieve at least an 80% favorable customer service ratings.

New Goals

Goal 1: Partner with students to foster career development & planning in pursuit of purposeful lives and lifelong personal/professional improvement

  • Objective A: Offer programming which inspires & motivates students to pursue meaningful career development while understanding the need to be ever learning and achieving.
  • Objective B: Engage specific student populations to strengthen trust & empower individual career development and the ability to transition into the global eco-system
  • Objective C: Enrich student career development experience through strengthening affiliation with the Career Services Center, business partners, and alumni mentors.

Goal 2: Collaborate with Campus Constituents to create a culture that recognizes career development as a part of the Brave Experience

  • Objective A: Expand campus constituents’ awareness of career development as a holistic experience at Alcorn.
  • Objective B: Seek opportunities to partner with campus constituents to provide professional and leadership development opportunities.

Goal 3: Facilitate effective employer and alumni connections with students.

  • Objective A: Expand employer recruiting affiliations at PVAMU to ensure an efficient and productive experience.
  • Objective B: Initiate strategic relationships with key employers
  • Objective C: Engage employers and alumni in programs, services and resources that add value to students’ career development experience (e.g., class presentations, employment, mentoring)

Citations

Completion by Design. (2016). Building guided pathways: Practical lessons from Completion by Design Colleges.

Watts, A.G., Sultana, R.G. Career Guidance Policies in 37 Countries: Contrasts and Common Themes. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 4, 105–122 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-005-1025-y