Council of Graduate Schools

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is a nonprofit higher education organization with headquarters in Washington, DC. Its mission is to advance graduate education and research. Its main activities consist of best practice initiatives, benchmarking, advocacy, and global engagement.

CGS membership includes over 500 universities in the United States and Canada, as well as over 60 institutions outside of the US and Canada. The Council is concerned principally with the efforts of graduate schools, particularly those providing PhD and master’s programs. Its efforts do not extend to professional degrees in medicine or law. CGS member institutions annually award more than 91% of all U.S. doctorates and over 81% of all U.S. master’s degrees.

Institutional members are principally represented by the official directly responsible for overseeing graduate programs at the university, usually the dean of the graduate school.

Corporations, nonprofit organizations, and educational systems may also join CGS as nonvoting members.

CGS is affiliated with the regional graduate associations the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS), the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS), the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NEAGS), and the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS).

The Council of Graduate Schools convenes members for two major meetings per year: a conference in early December and a Summer Workshop and New Deans Institute held in July.

CGS is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors. Members of the CGS Board of Directors are elected to one- to three-year terms. The current president of CGS, Suzanne Ortega, began her tenure July 2014.

Past CGS Presidents:

Debra W. Stewart (2000 – 2014)

Jules B. LaPidus (1984 – 2000)

Michael J. Pelczar, Jr. (1978 – 1984)

J. Boyd Page (1970 – 1978)

Gustave O. Arlt (1961 – 1970)

The Council of Graduate Schools was founded in 1961, when what was then known as the “Council of Graduate Schools in the United States” invited 100 institutions to join as founding members. These institutions were selected based on the number and variety of doctoral degrees each awarded.

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