Enhance the graduate student experience
Graduate education in the Krieger School encompasses post-baccalaureate studies, master’s degrees, doctoral education, and postdoctoral fellowships. Each of these represents a different stage of expertise vital for the health and productivity of any academic program, helping to stimulate discussion and discovery while training the next generation of scholars, intellectuals, and scientists. We seek to develop a model of graduate education that supports students not only while at Johns Hopkins but also in their careers after graduation.
Our strategies
Define the future of the doctoral degree.
The changing nature of the PhD demands new ways to illustrate the broad social value of the degree – work that is as relevant for our students headed toward academic careers at research universities as it is for students exploring other career pathways. We continue to explore the full potential of doctoral education, the nature of the dissertation, and how these relate to career outcomes. Following work already begun in the natural sciences and encouraged by national funding agencies, all Krieger School programs will engage with the Doctoral Life Design Studio and the professional activities provided there. We will also participate in the university commission aimed at the renewal and reimagination of PhD education and training at Johns Hopkins, adopting best practices as appropriate.
Expand support for all graduate students.
It is essential that our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows receive the resources and training needed to excel, not only during their time with us, but also into their future careers. We are committed to providing union relationship support for our doctoral workers and will develop a similar infrastructure for our post-doctoral fellows. We will continue to expand and update the mentoring of our doctoral candidates, improving the crucial advisor-advisee relationship. We will also orient our doctoral students to best practices and innovative tools for educators and provide valuable teaching professional development opportunities through programs like the Teaching Academy. As we develop additional master’s programs, we must also think carefully about this unique population, ensuring that we meet their needs through orientations, advising, and mentoring.
Foster cohorts for graduate students.
Building community requires innovative thinking about collaboration. We will continue to strengthen community-building activities and events within the school across graduate student life cycles, especially those that invite graduate students into shared projects and prioritize student-initiated collaborations. We will also work with our students to reimagine their representation as we develop Krieger-level bodies of shared governance.
Broaden our graduate student base.
The Krieger School aims to offer programs for all backgrounds and life stages. We will continue to partner with programs such as the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative to strengthen pathways for highly curious and creative students motivated to continue their education at the graduate level. In doing so, we will broaden our social networks beyond our traditional recruitment strategies. This will increase awareness about the many programs available for study within the Krieger School to include not just our doctoral offerings, but also our master’s degrees, post-baccalaureate opportunities, and a growing number of non-degree offerings.
Our accomplishments
2024-2025
Defining the future of the doctoral degree
In 2024-25, significant strides were made toward strengthening doctoral education in the face of evolving financial landscapes and institutional priorities. Circulation of the Report on Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Doctoral Experience and Career Outcomes served as a catalyst for structured dialogue with the directors of graduate studies and KSAS departmental leadership, from which several actionable ideas emerged. For example, in partnership with the Doctoral Life Design Studio, a number of departments have either introduced or expanded programming focused on career development both within academia and beyond.
Improving support for graduate students
The Krieger School aims to enhance the graduate student experience so that every student receives an experience that is rigorous, innovative, and reflective of the career aspirations of the next generation of scholars, intellectuals, and scientists. In fall 2024, the Krieger School announced a gift that will support and strengthen its doctoral programs. The school introduced a series of recurring Dean’s Dissertation Prize Fellowships, modeled after the dissertation completion fellowships awarded by the Provost’s Office during COVID-19. In addition, the school created annual Scholar-Teacher Awards, built upon the successes of the Dean’s Teaching Fellowships, which allow doctoral candidates to propose, design, and offer an undergraduate seminar course while receiving pedagogical mentorship from a faculty adviser.
The Krieger School has also expanded its graduate community with two new master’s degree programs in Biophysical Chemistry and Design for Biotechnology and in Economics launching in fall 2025. The Homewood Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs will integrate these Baltimore-based master’s students into its orientation and welcome activities to encourage their sense of belonging.
In 2024-25, teaching and training specialists in the departments of Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics and Astronomy began working with the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation (CTEI) to ensure that graduate students are fully supported as they step into their teaching responsibilities through a revitalized teaching assistant orientation. In addition, all four departments now provide discipline-specific orientations to further support graduate student instruction. Graduate student teaching support is essential for creating welcoming and effective undergraduate classrooms.
Finally, in an effort to strengthen research collaborations with the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), the Krieger School will select doctoral students each semester as Graduate Curatorial Research Interns at the BMA, beginning in fall 2025. Designed as an alternative to traditional teaching assistantships, these appointments will offer valuable professional development opportunities for doctoral students interested in research careers beyond conventional academic paths.
Fostering cohorts
As KSAS graduate programs adapt to the changing nature of the PhD, fostering a strong sense of community among graduate students has become not only a priority but a necessity. In 2024-25 the Krieger School provided comprehensive guidelines to programs to support a holistic review of graduate student applicants, and organized discussions among directors of graduate studies and admissions chairs to encourage a broader understanding of the qualities that contribute to success in graduate school. In addition, faculty across several literature-focused departments collaborated to develop a new course that will launch in fall 2025: “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Scholarship in the Humanities” is a year-long seminar with a broad pool of JHU faculty members to help incoming humanities PhD students develop a deeper appreciation for interdisciplinary scholarship and gain insight into the professional opportunities that can arise from proactively embracing interdisciplinary approaches. The seminar also lays the groundwork for further collaboration among humanities PhD students throughout the year.
2023-2024
Defining the future of the doctorate
The Krieger School drafted a white paper on the KSAS Graduate Experience and Career Outcomes that assembles data from surveys and an extensive tracking of doctoral students who have graduated since 2008. The information collected allows the school and each program to evaluate what students prize about their education and where they struggle or meet disappointment. The white paper makes the case for the strong and broad social value of the PhD, both within and outside the walls of academia. Over the upcoming academic year, this information will be shared with KSAS community members and should inform the work of the larger university’s Commission on PhD Education.
Collective bargaining with students
In spring 2024, the university entered a three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement for PhD student workers at JHU. This contract includes 29 articles that address a broad range of important topics and offers enhanced pay and benefits that raise the minimum stipend to $47,000 per year beginning July 2024, alongside paid health benefits for eligible children and spouses, parental leave benefits, increased vacation and sick time, and a one-time $1,000 signing bonus for all bargaining unit members. These efforts allow us to continue to attract the best graduate students into our programs.
Improving advising structures
After extensive conversation throughout the academic year, KSAS proposed a revision to its PhD advising structures. The goal is to build relationships between students and faculty over several years that will strengthen professional development, letters of reference, and students’ sense of belonging. The possibility of including faculty from other fields on the mentoring team encourages students to broaden their thinking beyond their disciplinary home and confer with those in related fields about their research. The KSAS Shared Governance Council endorsed the proposed revisions in their April 2024 meeting and now individual programs will discuss these guidelines and how they can improve the advising structure.
Fostering cohorts
- KSAS implemented the Graduate Diversity Ambassador Program, an initiative supported by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the KSAS Dean’s Office. Ambassadors extended the capacity of the KSAS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office to recruit diverse graduate students in KSAS. Their roles included participating in campus visits, local graduate school fairs, the fall preview program, and monthly socials. Ambassadors also engaged in programming that enhanced professional growth for graduate students.
- The Writing Center initiated Write on Site, a dissertation bootcamp for KSAS students, providing writing support and community for those at the dissertation stage. Write on Site offered two-day, pre-semester workshops (August, January, and May) and monthly workshops on topics ranging from managing a long project to revision strategies. In the spring, weekly writing groups were added to the monthly workshops. These well-attended sessions were successful and had a waiting list.