Welcome

Experience the excitement of discovery. Create new knowledge in your field of study. Learn the practical applications of theory from world-class faculty.

At the University of Louisville, we believe a graduate program should change your work...and your life.

Uof L is a metropolitan research university with an attractive main campus in Kentucky's largest city and a Health Sciences Center in the downtown medical complex. Enrollment is more than 20,000, with 6,000 students pursuing graduate degrees.

Louisville is an exciting, vibrant city, centrally located within the United States. With lots of charm and much to see and do, from the cultural arts to sports, it is home to almost one million people from across the U.S. and around the world.

William M. Pierce, Ph.D.
Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs and Interim Dean of the Graduate School

The Graduate School

The University of Louisville is an urban institution that has had close historical and legal ties with the city of Louisville and Jefferson County (now Louisville-Jefferson County Metro). Founded in 1798 as Jefferson Seminary, later known as Louisville College, in 1846 it became the University of Louisville with an academic department and a medical school. Also in 1846, a School of Law was added, and a charter was obtained from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Under that charter the University has functioned ever since. Currently, it includes the following units: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Graduate School, School of Dentistry, Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, School of Medicine, School of Music, School of Nursing, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and J.B. Speed School of Engineering.

In July of 1970, the University of Louisville officially entered the state university system of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and thus began a new era of service to community, state, and nation. Through the Graduate School, the University assumes its responsibility not only to teach but to contribute to the sum of knowledge. It encourages investigation, promotes research, and endeavors to organize the store of human knowledge to serve the needs of present-day life. By fostering the spirit of inquiry and research in the members of its faculties, it not only strengthens undergraduate instruction but also advances knowledge. Through its graduate courses, it furnishes advanced preparation for those who are planning to become investigators or teachers in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Because of its location in a major metropolitan area, the Graduate School is very much aware of both the research opportunities and the obligations in teaching and public service that such a location presents.

The Graduate School of the University of Louisville was formally established in 1915, with advanced degrees awarded as early as 1908. Other advanced courses were offered by the Schools of Medicine and Law as early as 1856. It is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools.

The legislative functions of the Graduate School are vested in the Graduate Council which consists of elected representatives of the Graduate Faculty. The Council is responsible for establishing policies relating to graduate education and for maintaining a standard of excellence for graduate work within the University. The Dean of the Graduate School serves as chair of this body and of the Graduate Faculty.

The dean and the dean's staff are responsible for the administration of the rules and regulations of the Graduate School and are expected to maintain and safeguard the standards and policies of the school as outlined by the Graduate Faculty and the Graduate Council.

Graduate students participate in the operation and decision-making process of the Graduate School through the Graduate Student Union (to which all Graduate School students belong) and its executive committee, the Graduate Student Council, which consists of one elected representative from each duly constituted graduate student organization. A representative of the Graduate Student Council is a voting member of the Graduate Council. Students are actively sought as members of many of the standing committees of the Graduate School, and they are urged to participate and become involved in the administration of the Graduate School through these channels.

Mission Statement for the University of Louisville

The University of Louisville shall be a premier, nationally recognized metropolitan research university with a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences and to the intellectual, cultural, and economic development of our diverse communities and citizens through the pursuit of excellence in five interrelated strategic areas: (1) Educational Experience, (2) Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activity, (3) Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Communication, (4) Partnerships and Collaborations, and (5) Institutional Effectiveness of Programs and Services.

Source: The University of Louisville Board of Trustees, April 18, 2006.

Structure of the University

In accordance with the statutory authority of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Board of Trustees of the University of Louisville shall exercise final jurisdiction over the University. It shall select the President of the University; and upon recommendation of the President, it shall make all appointments of individuals in administrative capacities who serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Board of Trustees shall adopt a budget annually for the ensuing year and grant all degrees conferred by the University.