History of the School of Graduate Studies

UND has been educating generations of graduate students for over 125 years.

In fact, the University of North Dakota is the oldest institution of higher education in the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Western Minnesota.

An established regional and national leader, it offers students a stimulating university environment, the state's largest library, the resources of its medical and law schools and research center, and a wide range of cultural and recreational opportunities.

At UND, we combine that diversity with a tradition of caring and what has been called "a remarkable sense of family."

Quick Facts

• The University of North Dakota was founded by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before North Dakota became a state.
• UND was initially organized as a College of Arts & Sciences, with a Normal School for the education of teachers.
• Six years after its funding, the first class of eight students graduated in 1889.
• Instruction of graduate students and the conducting of research began before the end of the 19^th century. The first master’s degree was awarded in 1895.

Harrison A. Bronson

In 1889, the same year North Dakota gained statehood, UND initiated its first postgraduate research program, looking for ways to better utilize the region's mineral resources.

In 1895, the University presented its first graduate degree, an M.A. in Latin, to Harrison A. Bronson for a study of Greek life in the plays of Terence. The discernment and discipline reinforced by this work served Harrison well as he went on to become a Justice for the Supreme Court of North Dakota.

George R. Davies

George R. Davies received UND's first doctoral degree in 1914 in the fields of sociology and history. He studied with John Gillette, widely regarded as the "Father of Rural Sociology," and the renowned historian Orin G. Libby. His academic career lead to numerous scholarly publications and a faculty position at the University of Iowa.