Welcome Prospective Students and Parents!

Welcome to the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Career Development and Professional Connections Hub. We are thrilled to have you and your family here, exploring the many opportunities and resources that the University has to offer.

As a prospective student, you are probably curious about how your education at UMass will help prepare you for your chosen career. UMass uses a hub model approach to career advising, meaning there are specialized centers across campus to serve different students' specific professional needs. The University also hosts over 20 career fairs each year, as well as hundreds of career events including networking opportunities, professional skills training, and employer visits. Whether you need career resources for the plan you already have, or help finding a plan that works for you, UMass Career Development is here for you as you embark on your career journey.

Resources for Prospective Students:

With so many resources at your disposal, choosing where to start can be a little overwhelming. Here are a few to get you started:

Skyline view of Boston including a baseball stadium, skyscrapers, and bodies of water

First-Year Career Pathways

Get a head start in your academic and professional pursuits with the First-Year Career Pathways program. Greater Boston's vibrant and diverse industries—technology, finance, healthcare, biotech, and more—create the perfect environment to hone your career aspirations. Start your UMass Amherst journey and gain experience in one of the nation's most dynamic cities.

Participating students will have the opportunity to join a select cohort of students on the Greater Boston campus in Newton, benefiting from a close-knit community while remaining connected to the vibrant city of Boston. Enjoy a dual-campus experience with a free shuttle connecting Newton and Amherst.

Student paddling in a boat on a big body of water while wearing safety gear

Start Your Career Journey

Your Career Journey, like other types of journeys, is the passage from one place or stage of life to another, with each stage bringing increased knowledge, learned skills, and new insights.

The journey is made easier through assessments of self, majors, career fields, and employers, as well as skills development and professional connections.  UMass Career Services is here to guide you on this journey and to provide resources that will make the twists and turns easier and more effective. Learn more about what you can expect on the adventure that is being a UMass Amherst student!

Job seeker in nyc

Explore with Self-Assessments

Much of your college experience will be reflecting on what you have already accomplished, and choosing experiences to lead you to your next wins. A great way to figure out what might work best for you next is to look inward. Self-assessments help you identify your unique strengths, skills, interests, and personality so that you can make informed career decisions. UMass Career Services utilizes a range of self-assessment tools to guide you throughout your academic career. 

Two students talking to a recruiter at a career fair

Career Outcomes of UMass Graduates

While UMass has the most direct impact on students’ experiences and achievements while they are attending the University, we are also interested in our graduates’ achievements later in life and how they view the contributions their UMass Amherst experiences made to their professional, personal, and civic lives. In keeping with that, we track our students' successes every year through the First Destination Survey. Browse through the last few years of outcomes data and see where our students go and what they do.