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Where We've Been
The story of The Graduate School is one of its people: celebrating the tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff who convened at Duke in their own pursuit of excellence and discovery. It is a story rich with milestones, transformative ideas, resilience, and evolution.
Step into a century of innovation and impact in an interactive historical timeline, explore more recent history in annual reports published in the last decade, and read stories that bring the voices and perspectives of our past to life.
100 Years of Milestones
Explore major milestones in The Graduate School's history in an interactive timeline. This living historical record will continue to be updated with future events and historical ones that offer a more inclusive and comprehensive perspective of The Graduate School's past. Use your keyboard or mouse to scroll through each milestone, or jump to an item directly by clicking on it in the timeline.
Interested in submitting content to this historical record? Let us know at grad-web@duke.edu.
Fun Facts About The Graduate School
The founding of Duke Graduate School almost prevented the construction of the Duke Chapel. Duke's first president, William President Few, hoped to invest the resources that eventually went into building Duke's most iconic landmark into a larger graduate education enterprise instead. The idea was rejected, and the funds were redirected toward created "The Duke Memorial," which eventually became the Duke Chapel and began construction in 1930.
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Duke graduate students are prolific inventors. Between 2019 and 2024, graduate students held 630 unique invention disclosures, with 229 U.S. utility patents filed and 60 license agreements. Photo: Invented at Duke 2023, where many graduate students present their inventions and research.
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Only two students formed Duke's first graduating class of Ph.D. students in 1928: Frederick John Holl and Dean Warren Rumbold who earned their degrees in zoology. Ninety-seven years later, the 2025 hooding ceremony was the largest in Duke's history, with 418 doctoral degrees conferred.
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1 out of every 6 students at Duke is a Ph.D. student. 1,000 new students join The Graduate School each year across more than 80 Ph.D. and Master's programs. Photo: Students at orientation in 2024.
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While Duke undergraduate students brave the elements for a chance to win free Duke vs. UNC basketball tickets during tenting season, graduate students have their own tradition. What started years ago as camping in a muddy campus parking lot has evolved into Campout each fall, where grad students can earn the chance to win season tickets for all home games.
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Recent History
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Duke Graduate School Annual Reports
Interested in learning about recent Duke Graduate School history? Browse the school's annual reports dating back to 2015. Click the button below to access all the reports, or view the 2024–2025 Duke Graduate School annual report directly.