Career Development

Career development and preparation is a primary reason why students choose to pursue a college education. Postsecondary educators, administrators, and stakeholders continue to look for new and different approaches to better support students’ career development and fulfill the promise of higher education as a viable pathway to fulfilling, stable careers post-graduation. In collaboration with university practitioners, PASS researchers identified innovative practices and approaches to re-envision career development in ways that better support today’s at-promise college students.


On this page, you’ll find resources for practitioners and campus leaders seeking to support at-promise students' career development, exploration, and success. 

Articles

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More than a pathway: Creating a major and career ecology that promotes the success of low-income, first-generation, and racially minoritized students.

Kitchen, J. A., Kezar, A., & Hypolite, L. I. (2021).

The article presents the “major and career ecology” model to illustrate how academic programs, career services, and institutional supports can be intentionally integrated to promote student success. It underscores the importance of proactive, coordinated structures that support low-income, first-generation, and racially minoritized students.
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At-promise college student major and career self-efficacy (MCSE) ecology model.

Kitchen, J., Kezar, A., & Hypolite, L. (2023).

The article introduces the At-Promise College Student Major and Career Self-Efficacy Ecology Model, highlighting how coordinated academic, social, and career experiences across multiple contexts can enhance students’ major and career self-efficacy. It shows that students who experience career support that is developmental, coordinated, tailored, and affirming are more likely to be confident in their career pathways - with implications for their motivation, persistence, and success.
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Rethinking traditional approaches to major and career development: The major and career ecology model.

Kitchen, J.A. (2023).

The article addresses challenges in higher education—such as rising costs, student debt, and concerns about career readiness—and their impact on perceptions of a college degree’s value and relevance. It presents the Major and Career Ecology Model as a novel approach that re-imagines how academic programs, career development activities, and student supports are implemented to better prepare students for their future careers.
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How the game is played: Low-income students’ experiences with career development programming.

Perez, R. J., Hypolite, L. I., Bettencourt, G. M., & Hallett, R. E. (2025).

This article examines how low-income students experienced career development programming in a college transition program, showing that many valued learning practical skills like résumé writing, interviewing, and networking in a supportive environment. The article suggests moving away from narrow ideas of professionalism and creating supports that are flexible and responsive to students’ backgrounds and prior experiences
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Briefs

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Advancing major and career success for at-promise student success.

This brief highlights how institutions can streamline and connect campus and community resources to strengthen students’ major and career self-efficacy in support of overall student success. It illustrates how tailored, developmentally informed support can guide students in selecting a major and understanding its connection to future career skills.
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Proactive advising practice guide: How advisors can support at-promise student success with proactive advising strategies.

This guide provides academic advisors with an evidence-based proactive advising model informed by a major study of at-promise college students’ success. Proactive advising can be an instrumental tool educators can leverage to better support the major and career development of today’s college students and ensure needs are met, goals are identified, and students are connected to necessary resources to achieve success early on.
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Exploring professionalism with at-promise college students.

Postsecondary educators play a critical role in helping at-promise students prepare for careers by providing resources that illuminate hidden workplace expectations around professionalism. This brief explores how professionalism programming can both reveal dominant workplace norms and affirm the assets students bring from their own communities.
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