Office of Graduate and Professional Studies Mission and Values

Our mission for graduate education at NAU

As the primary advocate of graduate education at Northern Arizona University, the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies is committed to supporting and advancing our outstanding master’s, doctoral, and professional programs at Flagstaff, online, and state-wide campuses. Consistent with the institution’s mission, our purpose is to promote graduate student achievement, research, scholarship, global learning, strategic partnerships, and engagement in discovery and practice.

Our values to enhance graduate education

Our values are an extension of our mission, showing what steps we take to reach our goals.

• Serve as an advocate for graduate education and promote a supportive learning and research environment related to our distinctive graduate programs.
• Enhance the visibility of our graduate programs and increase and diversify our pool of applicants locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Serve as a leader in shaping policy related to graduate education.
• Assess, nurture, and strengthen the high-quality graduate and professional programs, and provide assistance and guidance in the development of new academic programs.
• Provide quality services to assist with the success of our graduate students and academic programs related to admissions, implementing regulations and policies, retention, and graduation.
• Enhance the integration of research with graduate and undergraduate education.
• Build on our strengths which include location and historical mission and our commitment to basic and applied research in the areas of biotechnology and health, environment and sustainable systems, learning and teaching, and social sciences and humanities.