Texas State University is a doctoral-granting, student-centered institution dedicated to excellence and innovation in teaching, research, including creative expression, and service.  The university strives to create new knowledge, to embrace a diversity of people and ideas, to foster cultural and economic development, and to prepare its graduates to participate fully and freely as citizens of Texas, the nation, and the world.

Shared Values

In pursuing our mission, we, the faculty, staff, and students of Texas State University, are guided by a shared collection of values:

• Teaching and learning based on research, student involvement, and the free exchange of ideas in a supportive environment;
• Research and creative activities that encompass the full range of academic disciplines--research with relevance, from the sciences to the arts, from the theoretical to the applied;
• The cultivation of character, integrity, honesty, civility, compassion, fairness, respect, and ethical behavior in all members of our university community;
• A diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, a global perspective, and a sense of community as essential conditions for campus life;
• A commitment to service and leadership for the public good;
• Responsible stewardship of our resources and environment; and
• Continued reflection and evaluation to ensure that our strengths as a community always benefit those we serve.

The Graduate College Mission

The mission of The Graduate College is to provide vision, leadership, and direction for excellence in graduate education at Texas State University with the aim of providing the appropriate infrastructure and learning environment for the training of innovative and successful scholars, teachers, and professionals. The Graduate College does so by

•   articulating, promoting, and supporting the highest standards of quality in graduate education in keeping with the university's overall mission of teaching, research, including creative expression and service;
• constructing and maintaining an environment conducive to successful graduate education in concert with all graduate programs;
• supporting programs’ efforts to foster a diverse student population which participates in a global society;
• promoting and supporting rigor in graduate education;
• providing key process and procedure guidance and support to graduate programs from admission to graduation;
• aiding in student recruitment, application processing, policy monitoring, and degree auditing;
• promoting initiatives designed to provide best practices in graduate education leading to timely degree completion;
• providing support to graduate students for creative and scholarly activities;
• offering professional development opportunities for graduate students at key stages in their graduate careers; and
• engaging in research on graduate education.

The stakeholders of The Graduate College include students, faculty, and staff involved in graduate education at Texas State University.