Office of Graduate Studies, KU Medical Center

The Office of Graduate Studies (a unit of the Office of Academic and Student Affairs) on the KU Medical Center campus is the administrative unit responsible for graduate education on that campus. A variety of graduate programs are offered through the Medical Center's Schools of Health Professions, Medicine, and Nursing.

Graduate degrees on the Medical Center campus are conferred by the Schools of Health Professions, Medicine, and Nursing. Appointments to the Graduate Faculty are recommended by the individual academic units offering graduate programs. The appointment process is administered by the Graduate Studies office with approval for graduate appointments granted by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Goals of Graduate Study

Independent scholarship, competence in research or other creative work, and the cultivation of teaching commitment and skill are the traditional goals of graduate study. Having acquired a broad education as an undergraduate, the student is expected to master a special field, to learn the methods of investigation employed therein, and to proceed toward making an original contribution to knowledge. Since many of those who earn advanced degrees find careers in higher education, the acquisition of skill in teaching and in directing research is also an essential part of graduate education. 

These traditional goals gain renewed significance in changing times, while newly emerging societal interests and needs and new demands of the marketplace both underscore their importance and emphasize the necessity for flexibility in programs and accommodation in career objectives.

Research

Research is an integral part of the university’s educational mission. The National Science Foundation classifies KU as a major university receiving substantial research support. KU is also a Carnegie Doctoral/Research Extensive University and has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1909. The university has a long and successful record of research collaboration through independent, multidisciplinary research centers that focus on common themes. For more information about research on the Medical Center campus, visit the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute website page.

This catalog is not itself a source of policy and does not create a contract between the University of Kansas and its students. University policy is the binding agent in the event an inconsistency is noted between the catalog and official University policy. Whenever possible the catalog provides information from the latest policies at the time of publication.