Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
South Dakota State University. Graduate School
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
South Dakota State University (SDSU) granted its first Master of Science degree in 1891. The first Master of Education degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree were granted in 1958. A committee supervised all graduate work until 1957, when the Graduate School was established.
The Graduate School operates as one unit with no departments or department heads. The Graduate School is committed to providing an atmosphere for qualified students to obtain rigorous advance education in a variety of fields in preparation for service and leadership in their professions and society. It also promotes scholarly pursuits and scientific research for the advancement of knowledge within a climate of freedom of inquiry. The Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Master of Education degrees are offered in approximately 30 majors. The Doctor of Philosophy is offered in agronomy; animal science; atmospheric, environmental, and water resources; biological sciences, chemistry; and sociology. The Master of Science Teaching degree was discontinued July 1, 1996, and no new students were admitted after that date.
The graduate faculty is composed of the university president, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration, graduate dean, college deans, heads of departments in which graduate courses are given and other faculty, chosen on the basis of their training and experience, in accordance with the policies of the Graduate School. The Graduate Faculty acts on all matters of policy and standards. In addition, individual Graduate Faculty are authorized to serve as adviser to graduate students or, on their examining committees and to teach courses for graduate credit.