The Graduate School of Princeton University is the main graduate school of Princeton University. Founded in 1869, the school is responsible for all of Princeton's master's and

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

degree programs in the humanities, social sciences,

natural science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

s, and engineering. The school offers Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in 42 disciplines. It also administers several pre-professional programs, including the Master in Finance (M.Fin.), Master of Science in engineering (M.S.E.), and Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master in Public Affairs (M.P.A.), Master in Public Policy (M.P.P.), and Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degrees. The Graduate School is widely considered to be one of the best academic institutions in the United States and in the world. Students are able to work directly with faculty advisors, many of whom are the leading scholars in their fields. The relatively small number of students allows doctoral education to be tailored to each students needs, emphasizing original and independent research in a tight-knit community of scholars. Students who complete the program continue on to careers in academia, government, and industry. The Graduate School has produced a number of Nobel Prize Laureates,

Fields Medal Winners The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of Mathematicians, International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place e ...

university presidents A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

, cabinet ministers, MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellows,

Pulitzer Prize winners Pulitzer may refer to: * Joseph Pulitzer, a 20th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award * Pulitzer (surname) *Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain * Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-p ...

, ambassadors, heads of state, and heads of government. The school also guarantees fully funded stipends, which covers tuition, health fees, and living expenses, for all PhD students. PhD students may earn additional funding from teaching fellowships, research assistantships, and competitive awards. Master's students are also able to graduate debt-free through Princeton's "no-loan" policy.

History

In 1771, future president James Madison began graduate work at Princeton University under the tutelage of President John Witherspoon, another Founding Father. Often considered Princeton's "first graduate student," Madison studied Hebrew and Political Philosophy, which provided him the foundation for his later career as the delegate to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

from Virginia, Secretary of State, and President of the United States. After his studies, students were then permitted to stay at the university after receiving their bachelor's degrees. By 1869, graduate education was standardized through the establishment of general examinations and graduate fellowships. Princeton conferred the first graduate degrees to James F. Williamson and William Libby in 1879. The first dean of the graduate school was

Andrew Fleming West Andrew Fleming West (May 17, 1853 – December 27, 1943) was an American classicist, and first dean of the Graduate School at Princeton University. Biography West was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania on May 17, 1853. He studied at Princeton ...

. He envisioned a graduate institution that would both produce high quality graduate work from a small number of students. By the 1880s, eight graduate students were enrolled in programs in art and archaeology, astronomy, biology,

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, geology,

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, and physics. Enrollment gradually increased over the years, particularly under the leadership of physicist

Augustus Trowbridge Augustus Trowbridge (January 2, 1870 – March 14, 1934) was a physics professor and dean at Princeton University. Early life Augustus Trowbridge was born on January 2, 1870, in Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, New York (state), New York to Cornel ...

. Applications for graduate enrollment also rose after World War II and after federal funding for graduate fellowships increased substantially, most notably in the sciences. Women began to enroll in the Graduate School in the 1960s. The first PhD was awarded in 1964. In 1977, Nina G. Garsoian accepted a position as the ninth dean of the graduate school, the first woman to occupy that position.

The Graduate College

The Graduate College, the residence of the dean of the graduate school and home to many graduate students, was established in 1913. Inspired by the design of Magdalen Tower at Oxford University, the architecture of the Graduate College features brown and gray Princeton stone and green and blue roofs. Built in 1913 and expanded in 1927, the Old Graduate College features traditional Gothic-style architecture in addition to the 173-foot tall Cleveland Tower, a memorial to former university trustee and President of the United States Grover Cleveland. The central quadrangle of the Graduate College, Thomson College, is a memorial to United States Senator John R. Thomson. New Graduate College was built adjacent to the Old Graduate College in 1962, presenting modern-style architecture and comfortable living spaces.

High table

The tradition of " High Table" traces back to Oxford University and Cambridge University. Fellows of the college were to sit at the end of long refectory tables on raised platforms, dais, above the undergraduates. At Princeton, the tradition began in 1913 in Procter Hall with Professor Howard Crosby Butler. Students, faculty, and guests were invited to sit with the dean of the graduate college at a monthly ceremony. Until the 1970s, dinner at Procter Hall opened with Latin grace spoken by a student, the Master (Professor), or the dean. High Table continues to bring select students and faculty together for discussions and, during formal events, dinners jackets or academic gowns may also be worn.

Academics

Policies and procedures for graduate academics at Princeton are administered by the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, located at Clio Hall. Admission to the Graduate School is highly selective with an acceptance rate of approximately 11.7% across all disciplines. The average Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for admitted students were 163 out of 170 on the verbal section, 161 out of 170 on the quantitative section and 4.5 out of 6 on the analytical writing section. In the 2018–2019 academic year, 1,373 students were admitted into the graduate school.

Degrees and programs

The Graduate School offers a number of degree-granting programs in the fields of humanities, social sciences,

s, and engineering. In addition to its own Masters and PhD programs, the school oversees graduate degrees for the

Bendheim Center for Finance Bendheim Center for Finance (BCF) is an interdisciplinary center at Princeton University. It was established in 1997 at the initiative of Ben Bernanke and is dedicated to research and education in the area of money and finance, in lieu of there ...

, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Humanities * Architecture * Art and Archaeology *

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

* Comparative Literature * English *

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and Italian * German * Music Composition *

Musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

* Religion * Slavic Languages and Literatures * Spanish and Portuguese Social Sciences * Anthropology * Economics *

Finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...

* History * Politics * Sociology *

Statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...

and Machine Learning Natural Sciences * Applied and Computational Mathematics *

Astrophysical Sciences Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the hea ...

* Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences *

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

* Ecology and Evolutionary Biology * Geosciences *

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

* Molecular Biology * Neuroscience * Physics * Psychology Engineering * Chemical and Biological Engineering * Civil and Environmental Engineering * Computer Science *

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

* Operations Research and Financial Engineering

Rankings

Graduate programs at Princeton University have been consistently ranked as some of the top in their respective fields. The '' U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking'' ranks nearly every graduate program within the top ten. Similarly, the '' National Research Council (NRC)'s'' Research rankings, which factors in "faculty publications, citation rates, grants, and awards" ranks most programs within the top ten. The '' Wall Street Journal'' / '' Times Higher Education College Rankings 2018'' lists Princeton University as a top ten institution, while the '' QS World University Rankings'' ranks it within the top fifteen.

Facilities

Princeton's Graduate School includes a university library system of over seven million volumes, making it one of the largest in the United States. The main one, Firestone Library, opened in 1948, as the first large American university library constructed after World War II. The library is also recognized has the most books per enrolled student than any other university in the United States. The library system houses Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, which includes the Scheide Library and the

Cotsen Children's Library The Cotsen Children's Library is a specialist library within the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Princeton University Library. It is an international research collection of illustrated children's books, manuscripts, original art ...

. Additional libraries include the Architecture Library, East Asian Library and Gest Collection, Engineering Library, Lewis Science Library, Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology,

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library The Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library is the institutional archives of Princeton University and is part of the Princeton University Library's department ospecial collections The Mudd Library houses two major collection areas: the history of Prince ...

, Furth Plasma Physics Library, Mendel Music Library, and the Stokes Library. The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning provides programs and services for students to develop as professional scholars and teachers. The center provides professional development workshops and training for assistants in instruction (AIs), Princeton's equivalent of teaching assistants (TAs).

Partnerships

Graduate students are permitted to enroll in partnerships and exchange programs with other universities. The IvyPlus Exchange program allows take courses or conduct dissertation research at any of the Ivy League universities, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), or

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. The Graduate School also maintains a number of partnerships and exchange programs with leading universities around the world, including: * Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) * Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (Sciences Po) * Freie Universitaet Berlin *

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

* Humboldt University of Berlin * Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS)

Student life

Demographics

As of 2018, the Graduate School enrolls 2,845 students, of which 333 are master's students and 2,512 are doctoral students. Approximately 60% of the student population is male, 40% female. In addition, 57% are domestic students while 43% are international students.

Activities

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) oversees the organization of graduate activities and events. The GSG's mission is "to advocate for the interests of graduate students at Princeton, to provide a forum for free and open discussion of matters affecting graduate students, and to provide financial and organizational support for social events that involve graduate students." There are also a wide array of social, cultural, and academic student organizations for graduate students.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Princeton University Graduate schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1869 1869 establishments in New Jersey