Celebrating 100 Years of Graduate Education in Davis
Graduate Studies will mark the milestone with a yearlong campaign and student showcase.
On a crisp fall morning in 1925, a dozen graduate students in white button-down shirts with their slacks cuffed over worn brogans arrived at the University Farm in Davis. They were united by a shared ambition: to pursue advanced studies in agriculture at what was then the research extension of UC Berkeley.
It was a quiet beginning for graduate education in Davis — seeding what would grow into one of the top graduate education programs in the country.
Cultivating minds, seeding change
A century later, UC Davis Graduate Studies serves nearly 7,000 graduate students and 1,000 postdoctoral scholars across more than 100 programs, with more than 80,000 graduate alumni from around the world.
The 2025-26 academic year marks the 100th anniversary of graduate education in Davis, a milestone the university will celebrate with a yearlong campaign and a signature showcase of graduate student scholarship and creative work in June 2026.
“This centennial is a reminder of not just how far we’ve come as a university, but also how graduate education continues to transform our region and the world,” said Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Jean-Pierre Delplanque.
UC Davis commencement ceremony, circa 1949. (Courtesy)
A century of milestones
Since then, the university has evolved from its agricultural roots into a comprehensive research powerhouse. Key milestones include the awarding of the first graduate degree in Davis at the 1949 commencement ceremony, the establishment of the nation’s first master’s program in water science and engineering in 1953, the formal designation of UC Davis as a general campus in 1959, and the creation of an independent UC Davis graduate division in 1961.
By 1965, UC Davis had earned top 10 national rankings in botany and entomology. Graduate enrollment soared in the 1960s and 1970s, quadrupling to 4,000 students in just a decade.
A model for interdisciplinary collaboration
Much of this success stems from the university’s unique graduate group structure, which began in the 1950s. Unlike traditional departments, graduate groups draw faculty from across disciplines to shape curricula and advise students, which fosters collaboration and flexibility. More than half of UC Davis graduate programs operate within this model, helping the university lead in fields ranging from biomedical engineering to environmental policy.
UC Davis graduate programs consistently rank among the best in the nation across the disciplines, including in nursing, engineering and education, with many graduate specialties in the top five such as No. 3 in biological and agricultural engineering, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report.
Supporting the whole scholar
Throughout the decades, Graduate Studies has expanded to support students’ personal and professional growth through initiatives such as the GradPathways Institute for Professional Development and the Professors for the Future fellowship, which launched in 1992 to prepare doctoral students for leadership in academia.
Efforts in equity and access include holistic admissions review and mentoring programs. Signature events such as Graduate Student Appreciation Week and Grad Slam have fostered community and recognition since their inception in 1993 and 2015, respectively.
In 2021, the Graduate Center at Walker Hall opened as a new central hub for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to support collaboration, mentorship and community.
Today, the Graduate Center is housed at Walker Hall. (Courtesy)
Honoring the past, shaping the future
Graduate students continue to be central to the university’s core missions, shaping lives through their teaching, scholarship and research.
For example, doctoral student Harsha Gowda is helping design neurotechnologies aiding people with paralysis to regain their voices, and Diego Martinez Fernandez del Castillo, M.F.A. ’25, is exploring sustainable design practices through fiber art, repurposing discarded agave waste from the mezcal industry.
These examples are among the thousands of UC Davis graduate students whose efforts, accumulated over a century, have built an enduring legacy of innovation and social impact.
“This is more than a celebration of history,” said Delplanque. “It’s a tribute to every single graduate student and scholar who has advanced knowledge and improved lives through their work at UC Davis. And it’s a recognition of the groundbreaking work happening right now that will continue to forge discovery and drive innovation throughout the 21st century.”