The 2018 graduating class marks 80 years of graduate education at Arizona State University
As graduates, you’re walking in the footsteps of history. Eighty years ago, the first master’s degree was awarded at ASU.
Back then ASU was still called the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe. The College started offering master’s level courses in 1937, and in 1938 bestowed four Master of Arts in Education degrees to Gerald Harrison, Lulu Rumbaugh Kuhns, Rosalio Florian Munoz, and Catherine B. Rowlands.
ASU started as a teacher’s college so it’s fitting that the first graduate degree was in education. Since then, ASU has expanded exponentially and the Graduate College now administers more than 450 doctoral, master’s and graduate certificate options throughout the ASU campuses and ASU Online. Our graduate programs rank among the top 10 in the nation in fields of study such as online business and MBA, public affairs, criminal justice, audiology, environmental policy, non-profit management, printmaking, ceramics and photography (U.S. News & World Report).
Graduate students leverage the unique richness of ASU’s interdisciplinary cultures to collaborate on solutions to the world’s most wicked problems and contribute to the economic, social, cultural and overall well-being of their communities. Many graduate students go on to win some of the most distinguished awards for advanced study. The extraordinary discoveries produced by ASU’s graduate community are fueled by the quality of the programs, the diversity of ideas, access to outstanding faculty mentors, and the commitment to research that has meaningful purpose and impact.
As we reflect on our past 80 years, we’re also looking into the future. What will the next 80 years mean for graduate education? What challenges is the world facing, which education can solve? What challenges will students face, which universities can solve?
We are asking and tackling these questions. The Graduate College believes in serving the whole student and is leading the way with initiatives such as knowledge mobilization, diverse career pathways, and digital portfolios. We ensure current and future graduate programs produce transformative leaders, knowledge mobilizers and master learners who are ready to chart multiple career pathways in today’s changing landscape now and in the future.
Alfredo J. Artiles,
Dean