Our History

Founded in 1852, Tufts University is recognized among the premier universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. Recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research University based on the breadth of basic and clinical research conducted, Tufts has extensive and highly regarded liberal arts, sciences and engineering programs that draw outstanding students from around the world with the highest academic achievement and standing.

Below are key points in the history of the Tufts University and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

1876-First master's degree awarded, to a student working with the departments of Chemistry and Physics.

1892-Tufts faculty vote to offer doctoral degrees

1895-First Ph.D. awarded, in biology

1897-A Master of Sciences program added to the graduate curriculum.

1900-By the turn of the century, nine Tufts departments offer graduate instruction at the master's or doctoral level.

1909-The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is established.

1925-1926-Graduate teaching fellowships (especially in economics, but also in history and English) are established.

1933-1934-The degree of Master of Education authorized.

1934-1935-Of the 55 graduate students enrolled, half are schoolteachers working in the Department of Education.

1989-With the granting of fifty Ph.D. degrees in May (some of which come from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), Tufts becomes eligible for Research Category I, the highest classification of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education.

1995-Tufts included among the top 25 research universities in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

Tufts chemistry professor and department chair Krishna Kumar was named one of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators by <em>Technology Review</em> for his cutting-edge research on proteins that may have many medical uses.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) was established in the late 1980s and provides a forum for graduate students across all the disciplines. Each year, the GSC hosts a graduate student research symposium, a Giving Tree program (which donates toys to anonymous local children in the Medford/Somerville area) and a 5k Run/Walk, an event which has raised over $35,000 for a variety of charitable causes.

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The ratio of students to faculty rarely exceeds 12-1 in any Arts and Sciences graduate program, supporting the growth of significant mentoring and collegial relationships between faculty and students.

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The Department of Education is helping meet the need for good urban teachers through its Urban Teaching Training Collaborative (UTTC). The program places education graduate students in Boston-area schools were they work closely with a mentor teacher.

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