Mission and HIstory

Our mission is to foster postgraduate academic programs of the highest quality, catalyze intellectual discovery, and prepare a diverse community of scholars for global leadership.

Dartmouth was founded in 1769, when America was still a collection of colonies, with a mission to educate Native American youth and train future leaders in the liberal arts. Over the centuries, Dartmouth has evolved into both a top liberal arts college and a world-class research institution with a strong commitment to graduate and professional education.

Graduate education at Dartmouth has a long history. The College awarded its first PhD in 1885 to Stephen Alfred Jones, who went on to become a professor and later the second president of the State University of Nevada at Reno. The first woman to earn a degree from Dartmouth was Katharine Mordantt Quint, who completed her MA in 1896.

The Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies was officially established in 2016 and named in honor of alumni and former U.S. Congressman Frank J. Guarini in 2018. The Guarini School unites most of Dartmouth's graduate programs under one academic home (the MBA, MD, MEM, and MEng degrees are housed in the professional schools). Guarini supports master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral scholarship across the School of Arts & Sciences, Dartmouth Engineering, the Geisel School of Medicine, and the Tuck School of Business.

2016

The School of Graduate and Advanced Studies is established and is the first new school at Dartmouth in over a century.

2017 

Dartmouth is restored to R1 status as a top-level research institution.

2018

Dartmouth announces the naming of the Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies in acknowledgement of a transformative investment in graduate education by the Honorable Frank J. Guarini '46.

2019

Dartmouth is elected to membership in the Association of American Universities.

2020 

The Guarini School relocation to Anonymous Hall is formally recognized in a dedication ceremony. The new location houses a dedicated common area for graduate students and postdocs.

2021

The position of Director of Postdoctoral Affairs is established.

2025

GuariniGRAD, a hub for academic, career, professional, and personal resources and support from across campus launches. 

"Education is the most important word in our language, in any language. It's how we create leaders, grow our economy, and learn about other people, which nurtures peace. Education is the key to a better world." — Congressman Frank J. Guarini '46