This newsletter was sent from the Graduate School Dean to UW leadership on April 14, 2026.
Letter from the Dean
Dear colleagues,
As we enter spring quarter, I want to take a moment to reflect on the steady momentum across our graduate community. For many students, this is a time of transition as they approach graduation and the culmination of years of work. It’s also an opportunity for all of us to take stock of where we are and where we are headed.
I’m pleased to share the inaugural issue of In Community, the Graduate School’s first magazine. This publication reflects the breadth and depth of graduate education at the University of Washington, highlighting the people and ideas that drive discovery, innovation and impact in service of the public good. I hope you’ll take a few moments to explore it and see the remarkable work of our students and programs.
That work is evident every day. Across disciplines, our graduate students are advancing knowledge, strengthening communities and preparing to lead in complex and evolving fields. Their contributions are central to the University’s mission and to the impact we have across our state and beyond.
The PhD Task Force continues to make strong progress. Our working groups are now drafting their recommendations, and I look forward to sharing their insights and an action plan for forward progress in the next few months. This work represents a thoughtful, community-informed effort to ensure that doctoral education at UW remains both rigorous and responsive to the needs of today’s students and tomorrow’s challenges. I encourage you to join us for the final Task Force Town Hall on May 4, where we will reflect on what we’ve learned and discuss next steps.
Thank you, as always, for your partnership in supporting graduate education at the University of Washington. I’m grateful for the leadership across our campuses that makes this work possible.
Warm wishes,
Joy Williamson-Lott
Dean, UW Graduate School
Updates and news
New guidelines for all new graduate program proposals
The Office of Academic Affairs, in partnership with the Board of Deans and Chancellors, has restructured the guidelines for new graduate program and program option proposals to provide clearer, more relevant information for evaluating a program’s strategic value.
Because strategic value extends beyond market demand and draws on data of varying types and quality, the proposal format has consolidated prompts related to societal, academic, and fiscal value into a single section. This structure enables programs to present a more holistic account of how a proposed program contributes to the school and the university.
The updated guidelines are available on the Graduate School’s Proposing a New Program webpage.
Cross-College Stacked Graduate Degrees
The Graduate School Office of Academic Affairs has released guidelines and requirements for Cross-College Stacked Degrees (CCSDs), in which students earn a master’s degree by completing two or more certificates from different schools, colleges, or campuses, and an integrated culminating experience in one of those units.
The modular structure of these degrees creates opportunities for academic units to collaborate in developing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs that serve the broader university community.
In addition to establishing partnerships across units, CCSD proposals must include a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among participating units. Programs seeking to admit students in Autumn 2027 should plan to submit a Notice of Intent (PNOI) by mid-May, allowing time for full proposal and MOU review early in the fall.
We created an MOU document to assist units in developing curriculum and collaborative agreements associated with the cross-college stacked master’s degree.
Reminder: Suspension of Admissions (Policy 1.9)
Because suspension of admissions is authorized through a faculty vote, programs are encouraged to use Spring quarter to assess projected student demand and available resources for the upcoming admissions cycle.
Programs planning to suspend admissions should follow the procedures outlined in Policy 1.9: Temporary Suspension of Admissions.