In 1943 the University expanded its offerings to include three 36-credit-hour master’s degrees: Master of Education, Master of Arts, and Master of Science, but it was in 1947 that the Graduate School began to take shape under the leadership of Dean J. Riis Owre. Students interested in pursuing a master’s degree had the opportunity to specialize their study in eight distinct areas, ranging from biology and chemistry to education, English, history, mathematics, modern languages, psychology, and sociology. Four fields for the Master of Business Administration were also offered in accounting, finance, management, and marketing. Music, law, and nursing followed in the 1950s. While other disciplines offered courses, they had not yet developed full degree programs. Over time, more specializations were added to their curricula.
Read the full issue of Miami magazine’s centennial edition online.
Two years after its launch, the Master of Education program awarded its first degree to Foster E. Alter, and in 1949 the first two international students, from Norway and China, received their master’s degrees. The fisheries program at what is now called the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science began offering master’s degrees in 1954, followed by the medical school a year after. On July 15, 1956, the 1,000th master’s degree was awarded.
In 1958 Jose A. Ferré and his brothers Luis A., Carlos F., and Herman, in honor of their father, donated $200,000 to construct a building to house the Graduate School—the Antonio Ferré Building was dedicated on Nov. 19.
The Graduate School came of age with the launch of the University’s doctoral programs, offering the Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy in 1959. The initial specializations included anatomy, bacteriology, biochemistry, chemistry, marine science, pharmacology, physiology, psychology, and zoology, expanding to include the arts, humanities, and social sciences in the later years. By fall 1962, enrollment had reached 1,079. That same year, Don Weddington, M.S. ’64, Ph.D. ’68, became the first Black teaching assistant, and Thelma Hart became the first Black student admitted as an applicant for the doctorate in 1961.
The rapid expansion of graduate programs, a trend of previous decades, slowed considerably in the 1970s, both at the University and nationwide, leading to a decline in enrollment. The decades that followed presented further challenges, requiring adaptation and change. The institution shifted from being largely an undergraduate institution to also becoming a graduate institution, attracting faculty from multiple disciplines.
The 21st century brought growth through the introduction of collaborative programs, such as the University of Miami/Florida International University Exchange Program. Today the Graduate School is among the most comprehensive in the country, its diverse academic programs matched by the culturally and geographically diverse student body representing more than 125 countries. It oversees more than 180 master’s and over 70 doctoral degree programs across the entire University.
