The Graduate School at Western Carolina University serves to support graduate students
and faculty, beginning with the support of prospective students as they explore programs
of interest and move through the application process. The central mission of the Graduate
School is to provide services and resources to promote an engaged and diverse community of study
and to ensure quality graduate education and active scholarship. The Graduate School
will advocate for graduate students, faculty, and programs to benefit the scholarly
activities within the university and the region.
Activities coordinated by the Graduate School
- Recruitment of prospective students
- Collection and processing of applications
- Coordination of the admission process with academic programs
- Assisting students with academic policy, course registration, and course withdrawal
- Coordination and allocation of graduate scholarships and tuition waivers
- Processing and assignment of graduate assistantships to graduate programs and campus
units
- Monitoring residency status
- Monitoring academic eligibility
- Coordination of Graduate Student Association
- Processing of graduate faculty applications
- Reviewing theses/dissertations for formatting
- Processing applications for graduation
- Working with the Graduate Council to approve new/revised graduate programs, curricula,
and policy
Read our Strategic Plan (2013-2017)
Graduate Program Locations
WCU offers high-quality programs in Cullowhee, Asheville, and online, giving you the convenience and flexibility you need to reach your educational goals.
Western's main campus is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, in a valley of the
southern Appalachian Mountains. Scenic vistas, clear whitewater streams, and dense
forests abound in our mountain environment. While the climate is mild, four distinct
seasons offer a variety of picturesque scenes at any time of year.
Some of the highest mountains in eastern America are near our campus; the Blue Ridge
Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, national forests, and the Cherokee Indian
Reservation are only a thirty-minute drive from Cullowhee.
In addition to the main Cullowhee campus, Western offers resident credit classes at
its convenient location in Asheville.
A message from the Dean
Thank you for your interest in the Graduate School at Western Carolina University.
Graduate Study has become increasingly important to career advancement and professional
development and the Western Carolina University Graduate School is ready to assist
you with your climb.
Individuals with graduate degrees provide a highly skilled workforce required to strengthen
the region’s global economic position. Individuals with graduate degrees also play
vital roles as citizens. They provide solutions to societal and business issues and
help create a higher quality of life through applied science, education, and service.
Graduate students inspire, think critically, and solve society’s big problems. Higher-level
positions and decision-making powers often go to people who have pursued graduate
education.
I hope that the Western Carolina University Graduate School is in your future. Our
programs serve to launch successful careers that will positively impact the region,
state, and nation. Western has much to offer, such as state-of-the-art facilities
in the health services, engineering technology, and business. We also offer many of
our degree programs at our contemporary Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville. The Graduate School also offers many meritorious
graduate students with teaching assistantships, stipends, and financial assistance
grants.
Western graduate students actively engage in collaborative research with world-class
faculty in the quest to develop their own expertise. The graduate faculty includes
more than 450 experts from over 38 degree programs. You will share your graduate experience
with more than 1600 graduate students in Cullowhee, Asheville, and around the world.
I am proud of our students, of their achievements, and of the outstanding graduate
faculty who are their mentors.
I hope that you take the time to learn more about graduate education at Western Carolina
University on this web site, to visit our campus, and to talk with faculty and graduate
students. The Graduate School staff is committed to providing timely, accurate, and
professional service to you when you need it most.
Sincerely,
Brian Kloeppel - Dean, Graduate School and Research
