A wise person once told me that my graduate school years would be some of the best of my life. My own experience proved them to be correct. I am pleased that you have chosen to explore the opportunities that we offer here at Southern Illinois University to provide your training during this special time. I'm confident that you'd find your graduate experience here to be challenging and rewarding, and would posture you well for your later career.

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is a Carnegie II doctoral/research-extensive (the highest category) university that offers over sixty master's and twenty-nine doctoral programs, representing every major academic disciplinary area. More than 4,300 students from throughout the United States and 92 other countries pursue these degrees in the Colleges of Agriculture, Applied Sciences and Arts, Business and Administration, Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication and Media Arts, Science, School of Law, and the School of Medicine.

The Graduate School consists of both administrative and development units. These include the Admissions Office, Records-Registration Office, Fellowships and Assistantships Office, and a newly established Center for Graduate Teaching Excellence. The Graduate School plays an essential role promoting quality instructional programs and encouraging state-of-the-art research.

Our graduate student body is fifty-two percent women, twenty-two percent international and, historically, among the top fifty in minorities. Over 56 percent are funded by teaching, research, and administrative assistantships, and fellowships within 14 different programs. These awards carry a very competitive stipend and a full tuition waiver for both in-state and out-of-state students. I feel that our university provides degree opportunities of very high quality and virtually unmatched affordability.

The Graduate School's web pages can provide you with the specifics of its high quality, fully-accredited programs, as well as information on types of support. Also available are a telephone/e-mail directory of the staff, and important dates and deadlines that will facilitate your planning.

I also encourage you to explore the specifics of the Departments in which you have interest, including details on the research activities of individual faculty members. Finally, please do not hesitate to contact the Graduate School, your Department(s) of interest, or individual faculty if you have questions.

Questions regarding the Graduate Assistantship\Fellowship Office: Contact gaoffice@siu.edu