Non sibi sed aliis the dawn of the University of Georgia Graduate School /

by 1956- Knox, David K.

Graduate education in the United States has followed a slow and, sometimes, circuitous path. The development of graduate education is the story of the institution and standardization of degrees. The most widely accepted method of doing this is the creation of a Graduate School as a separate administrative unit. This paper analyzes the creation and growth of the Graduate School at the University of Georgia up to 1940. To give context for understanding the developments at the University of Georgia, this study provides an overview of early graduate education in the United States, an examination of the growth of graduate education and a Graduate School at three Southern universities that are similar to the University of Georgia, and an exposition and analysis of a famous University of Georgia alumnus, Joseph LeConte’s ideas concerning the nature of the university and graduate education. Biographies of the first members of the graduate faculty are provided to give an appreciation of their academic qualifications, scholarly interests, and classes that they taught. This work discusses other issues, such as the university library, fellowships, and governance structures that have affected the growth of the University of Georgia Graduate School.