Associate Dean of the College of Science Melanie Duckworth hoods Brendan Willis ’21 M.S., ’23 Ph.D. (psychology) at 2023 Winter Commencement, while Executive Vice President and Provost Jeff Thompson and Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School Markus Kemmelmeier look on.
Rachel Jackson ’23
The Graduate School proudly conferred a record-breaking number of doctoral degrees in the 2022-23 academic year, marking a significant milestone for our Carnegie R1 Research Institution. This remarkable achievement reflects the commitment of The Graduate School and the University to support graduate education, which has a direct impact on advancing research and teaching — benefiting the broader community. A total of 190 doctoral degrees, up nearly 20% from the previous year, were conferred along with an impressive 1,085 master’s degrees, up 15% from the previous year.
2023 was also a banner year for doctoral program enrollment. Over the last decade, The Graduate School has seen a 45% increase in doctoral enrollment, which is indicative of increased investment in graduate education. In the Fall 2023 Semester, The Graduate School had 1,149 doctoral students enrolled, the highest in our University’s history. Additionally, the time to reach graduation has decreased for both doctoral and master’s students.
One example of the University’s investment in graduate education is the Nevada Doctoral Research in Innovation, Vision and Excellence program, which is in its third year and provides graduate research assistantships throughout campus. The DRIVE program was made possible through the combined efforts of President Brian Sandoval ’86 (English), Vice President for Research & Innovation Mridul Gautam and Executive Vice President and Provost Jeff Thompson.
Nevada DRIVE is not the only initiative driving record numbers in The Graduate School. Programs such as Grad-FIT and the Nevada Graduate Acceleration through Innovation and Networking Scholars program focus on recruiting and retaining first-generation and underrepresented students across graduate disciplines. As the University looks to continue this growth in graduate education, it is imperative that our hardworking graduate students receive support, mentorship and resources to navigate the demanding academic journey successfully.
To learn more about The Graduate School, please scan the QR code below.