UMass Boston

UMass Boston is working to strengthen career services and advising for students through the Academic and Career Engagement and Success (ACES) Center.

In Fall 2022, ACES successfully launched the first stage of an integrated, student-centered, and holistic advising model that values students’ cultural wealth and supports their academic and career success. 

“Over the past three years, UMass Boston’s Academic and Career Engagement and Success Center has experienced remarkable growth, including the launch of a new, user-friendly website and the implementation of systematic tracking of student outcomes,” said Monique Cooper, assistant vice provost for academic and career engagement and success. “These advancements have expanded experiential learning and career opportunities, enhanced career readiness resources, and strengthened our connection between students and the professional world, underscoring our commitment to their success in an evolving workforce.”

Some of the initiatives that have strengthened career services in this new model include:

• The integration of academic and career advising.
• The launch of Career Communities, which provide a structured framework for career exploration.
• The introduction of a new ACES website through a partnership with uConnect allowed us to consolidate resources like job postings, alumni employment data, career planning tools, and more.  Previously, these resources lived in different places or were unavailable.
• The adoption of new tools that allow students and career advisors to make better use of data to enhance career services.  For example, tools include the Salesforce-based Advising Case Management CRM system (case management tool for advisors), Embark First Destination Survey (providing better data on employment activity of recent graduates), and Lightcast (providing better employment data for all UMB alumni).

The UMass Boston ACES team has also worked to develop and deepen strategic employer partnerships with Greater Boston-area organizations like MathWorks, MassBioEd, National Grid, Hack.Diversity, Massport, Mass Audubon and the Boston Mayor’s Office. Most of these relationships provide full-time employment and internship opportunities to UMass Boston students. 

The university is also prioritizing and investing in experiential learning programs. One program, Professional Apprenticeship Career Experience (PACE), allows students to participate in apprenticeships to gain experience in their field. In 2023, 94 students participated in a PACE apprenticeship. Another program, U54, a partnership with Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, aims to improve opportunities for underrepresented minority students, fellows, and scientists. Seventy-eight percent of U54 trainees go on to work in science-related fields, with 47 in cancer-related roles as of 2024. 

These efforts to strengthen career services and advising have allowed us to provide career services to greater numbers of students. In 2023, there were 4,548 undergraduate academic and career advising sessions and 883 graduate sessions.