Rich history
- Washington State University, the only research land-grant institution in the state was founded in 1890. The first class of twenty-one students enrolled on January 13, 1892. Since then, the University has grown steadily in size and diversity into an institution of nine colleges and a Graduate School, with a total enrollment for all campus locations of over 20,000.
- The main campus spreads over nearly 600 acres, and is located in Pullman among the rolling hills of the Palouse region of southeastern Washington. This area encompasses one of the largest residential universities west of the Mississippi, with more than 60 percent of all students living on or near campus.
- In addition to the main campus, WSU offers courses of study at three branchl campuses in Spokane, Tri-Cities (Richland), and Vancouver. Further, the University maintains over 5,000 acres of farmland and eight agricultural research centers located at various points in the state.
Challenging degree programs
In 1902, WSU granted its first graduate degree, an MS in botany, to William Hurford Lawrence. Through the first thirty years of the century, graduate degrees were granted occasionally in history, economics, English, and the sciences, but it was not until the 1930s that graduate division began to emphasize the importance of graduate education, and started to coordinate graduate programs.
- The Dean of the Graduate School administers the diverse graduate programs across the University within the policies and regulations established by the Graduate Studies Committe and Faculty Senate.
World-class faculty
- The faculty is primarily responsible for directing graduate education, and various programs, departments, and colleges elect the members of the Graduate Faculty, basing their decision on the nominees’ accomplishments as teachers, scholars, and researchers.
- The Graduate Studies Committee of the Faculty Senate, composed of faculty members and graduate students, assists the Graduate School in the establishment of the policies and procedures of the Graduate School.
- The Graduate School is committed to helping graduate students become learned scholars, effective researchers, and masters of disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge. To these ends, the faculty emphasizes both independent scholarship and research, and classroom learning. State-of-the-art equipment for the conduct of research is present in the research centers and academic departments. Student enrollments in graduate classes and seminars are limited, ensuring an active exchange between student and professor.
- The close relationships between students and faculty members and common aims of all involved in graduate education create an atmosphere that stimulates intellectual curiosity. The individualized nature of graduate education at Washington State University also provides students with considerable flexibility in designing programs of study, and broadens the possibilities for unique creative endeavors.
Contact the Graduate School
P.O. Box 641030
Pullman, WA 99164-1030
(509) 335-6424
E-mail: gradsch@wsu.edu
www.gradschool.wsu.edu
Doctor of Design
- The Doctor of Design is offered through the Interdisciplinary Program at the Interdisciplinary Design Institute at WSU Spokane. The program is a collaborative effort among the School of Architecture, the Department of Interior Design and the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
- The Doctorate of Design (DDes) program is intended to advance both the “art” and “science” of design within the philosophical and pedagogical framework of interdisciplinary inquiry, critical synthesis, and problem solving. At the same level of academic standards as the PhD program, the DDes focuses on applied research and emphasizes the advancement of knowledge in the design disciplines. It is intended for persons who are well versed and professionally advanced in the design profession and who seek to make original contributions to their fields.
Doctor of Philosophy
- The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), the highest earned academic degree offered by American universities, is awarded in recognition of distinctive scholarship and original contributions to knowledge. Thus, although formal courses are required in programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy, the award is made primarily for creative scholarship rather than for the accumulation of credits in courses.
- The Board of Regents of Washington State University has authorized the granting of the degree Doctor of Philosophy in 42 academic fields. Study for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy falls into two rather clearly defined periods, the pre-candidate period and the candidate period.
- During the pre-candidate period the student acquires most of the preparation necessary for research, completes most of the formal courses, acquires the necessary background expected in the chosen field, and satisfies departmental requirements.
- In some departments, the student may be required to pass a qualifying examination; in some, research may be begun during this period. The precandidate period terminates when the student passes the preliminary examination, thereby becoming a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
- The candidate period is devoted largely to research and the preparation of the dissertation. During this period, the student demonstrates the qualities of a creative scholar. It is at this time that the relationship between the advisor and the candidate reaches its maximum development. This period terminates when the candidate passes the final examination, including defense of the dissertation, and has the dissertation accepted by the Graduate School.
Doctor of Education
- The program of the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree—different from the Doctor of Philosophy degree that may be earned in Education—is designed to provide training for students interested in the practice of education.
- Demonstrated ability in some service phase of education is a prerequisite to candidacy for this degree. There is no foreign language reading requirement for this degree, but the course requirements and procedures are similar to those for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in education.
Master of Arts/Master of Science
- The degrees of Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MS) are awarded to graduate students for demonstration of substantial scholarly achievement beyond the baccalaureate level. This achievement represents more than the mere accumulation of additional credit, for the student is expected to demonstrate an integrated knowledge of the chosen discipline.
- In most departments the student is expected to demonstrate research competence in the form of a thesis. In some departments, a non-thesis option is available by which the thesis requirement may be replaced with additional course work and a special project.
Libraries
- The Libraries system is an integral part of WSU’s educational resources. The Libraries’ collection contains in excess of 7 million items including over 2 million volumes and more than 28,000 serials publications (scientific, scholarly, and specialized journals and periodicals); regional and national newspapers; foreign, federal, state, and municipal documents; United Nations publications; and other materials in a variety of print, electronic, multimedia, and micro formats.
Information Technology
- Academic Computing Services For information about these services please contact Phil Scuderi, Academic Services Manager at 335-0408.
- Academic Computing Facility (ACF) For additional information, contact the Computing Information Center (335-0411). Various handouts are available free of charge; certain other manuals and publications are sold at the Personal Computing Center. Training courses, both free and fee based, are available.
College of Liberal Arts
- Permanent exhibits at the Museum of Anthropology illustrate topics in human biological and cultural evolution and the culture of the native people of the Columbian Plateau. The museum houses archaeological collections from the interior Northwest that represent a record of the last 11,000 years of human occupation. This is the most extensive collection of archaeological materials from the Columbian Plateau, and it forms an important research resource for those interested in this region’s archaeological history.
- Research collections representing faculty archaeological research in the Southwestern U.S. are also maintained. In addition, there are important collections of historic period Native American basketry from several parts of western North America.
- The museum located in 110 College Hall is open Monday through Friday during the academic year, plus selected Saturdays. About 4,500 people visit the museum each year. The museum staff includes Dr. William Andrefsky Jr., Director, and Dr. Mary Collins, Associate Director.
College of Sciences
- The Charles R. Conner Museum, located in Abelson Hall, exhibits fish, amphibians, reptiles, and several hundred mounted birds and mammals, including deer, antelope, mountain sheep, mountain goat, cougar, and small species. The display collection is open to the public from 8:00 am-5:00 pm weekdays.
- The Culver Display, located in Webster, houses the Jacklin Petrified Wood Collection. This spectacular collection contains more than 2,000 cut and polished specimens of petrified wood from all major localities in the western United States. It is the largest display of its kind in the western United States. Also included in the Collection is a large selection of cut and polished agate, goedes, and dinosaur bone. The Culver Collection includes over 100 classic rock and mineral specimens from localities throughout the world. Both the Jacklin and Culver Collections may be viewed weekdays, 8:00 am-5:00 pm. Tours may be arranged by calling the Department of Geology, 335-3009.
- The Marion Ownbey Herbarium is an internationally recognized resource for research, teaching, and service. The Herbarium houses 300,000 plant specimens, primarily from the Pacific Northwest, but including worldwide collections. In addition to native vascular plants and weeds, the Herbarium contains mosses, liverworts, lichens, and special collections of seeds and cultivated plants. The Herbarium is located in Heald G-9 and is open weekdays from 8:00 am-5:00 pm and by appointment, 335-3250.
College of Veterinary Medicine
- The Worthman Veterinary Anatomy Teaching Museum features several hundred specimens of mammals and several exhibits of fowl. The collection consists primarily of domesticated animals, since they represent the species most important to veterinary medical education and research, yet a few wild species are included also.
- The only one of its kind in the nation, the Museum offers a unique learning environment. It is used extensively for teaching purposes in classes of anatomy, radiology, and surgery, and it serves as a reference tool for current research by veterinary medicine faculty members.
- The Museum is located on the second floor of Wegner Hall. For information, call 335-6621.
Museum of Art
- The Museum of Art was established in 1974 around a core collection of American paintings assembled by former President E. O. Holland and former WSU Regent Charles Orton. Dedicated to serving the educational purposes of WSU and the people of the State of Washington, the Museum operates a program which embraces a wide variety of changing exhibitions ranging from antiquity to the contemporary, from design and photography to sculpture and painting, by internationally, nationally and regionally known artists. Many of the exhibits originated by the Museum staff have toured the nation.
- The Museum offers a wide variety of speakers,
films, and special programs throughout the year.
The Museum’s collection of American 19th and 20th century paintings, drawings, and prints has grown in the past years through financial donations and important gifts from collectors and alumni in the Northwest. In 1975, the Museum of Art was a founding member of the Washington Art Consortium, a cooperative venture by four small museums to build a major national collection of works on paper by American artists. The Museum’s consortium activities have provided an added focus to its own collecting of works on paper. - The Museum’s programs are free and open to the public. For information, call 335-1910.