The Graduate School of Princeton University is the main

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. Founded in 1869, the school is responsible for all of Princeton's

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

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 '' l ...

degree programs in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of s ...

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 Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

. The school offers

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(MA),

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

(MS), and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(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 An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

, and industry. The Graduate School has produced a number of Nobel Prize Laureates, Fields Medal Winners, university presidents, cabinet ministers, MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellows, Pulitzer Prize winners,

ambassadors An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

, and

heads of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

. 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 fellow A teaching fellow (sometimes referred to as a TF) is an individual at a higher education institution, including universities, whose role involves teaching and potentially pedagogic research. The work done by teaching fellows can vary enormously f ...

ships,

research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private research. Research assistants are not in ...

ships, 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 James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

began graduate work at Princeton University under the tutelage of President

John Witherspoon John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense real ...

, another

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

. Often considered Princeton's "first graduate student," Madison studied

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and

Political Philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

, 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 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, Secretary of State, and

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

. After his studies, students were then permitted to stay at the university after receiving their

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

s. 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 Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

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 Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern 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. ...

, and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

. 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 to Cornelia Polhemus (née Robinson) and Geor ...

. Applications for graduate enrollment also rose after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 Magdalen Tower, completed in 1509, is a bell tower that forms part of Magdalen College, Oxford. It is a central focus for the celebrations in Oxford on May Morning. History Magdalen Tower is one of the oldest parts of Magdalen College, Oxford, ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, 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 Cleveland Tower is a bell tower containing a carillon on the campus of Princeton University. Inspired by Boston College's Gasson Hall, the design by Ralph Adams Cram is one of the defining Collegiate Gothic architectural features of the university ...

, a memorial to former university trustee and President of the United States

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. The central quadrangle of the Graduate College, Thomson College, is a memorial to

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

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

and

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Fellows of the college were to sit at the end of long

refectory table A refectory table is a highly elongated table used originally for dining in monasteries during Medieval times. In the Late Middle Ages, the table gradually became a banqueting or feasting table in castles and other noble residences. The ori ...

s on raised platforms,

dais A dais or daïs ( or , American English also but sometimes considered nonstandard)dais
in the Random House Dictionary< ...

, above the undergraduates. At Princeton, the tradition began in 1913 in Procter Hall with Professor

Howard Crosby Butler Howard Crosby Butler (March 7, 1872 Croton Falls, New York – August 13, 1922 Neuilly) was an American archaeologist. Butler graduated from Princeton University, and later pursued special studies at the Columbia School of Architecture and at the ...

. 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

s, and

. In addition to its own Masters and PhD programs, the school oversees graduate degrees for the Bendheim Center for Finance, 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 The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...

. Humanities *

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

* Art and Archaeology * Classics *

Comparative Literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

* French and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Music Composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...

* Musicology * Philosophy *

Religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

* Slavic Languages and Literatures *

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Social Sciences *

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

* Finance *

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

* Statistics and

Machine Learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

Natural Sciences * Applied and Computational Mathematics * Astrophysical Sciences * Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences * Chemistry *

Ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

and

Evolutionary Biology Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes ( natural selection, common descent, speciation) that produced the diversity of life on Earth. It is also defined as the study of the history of life ...

Geosciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four sphere ...

* Mathematics *

Molecular Biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

Neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

Engineering * Chemical and Biological Engineering *

Civil and Environmental Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

* Electrical Engineering * Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering * 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 ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' / '' Times Higher Education College Rankings 2018'' lists Princeton University as a top ten institution, while the ''

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

'' 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 Princeton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University. With holdings of more than 7 million books, 6 million microforms, and 48,000 linear feet of manuscripts, it is among the largest libraries in the world by number of ...

, 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 The Scheide Library once a private library, is now a permanent part of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections of the Princeton University Library. It is housed in the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library on the campus of Princeton Un ...

and the Cotsen Children's Library. 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, 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 The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight school ...

universities, the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), or Stanford University. 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 The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

* Hebrew University of Jerusalem *

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

* 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