Mission
In December 1984, the Board of Trustees of Brandeis University adopted a “Mission Statement,” the first paragraph of which succinctly identified the university’s primary objectives:
"Brandeis University is a community of scholars and graduate students united by their commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and its transmission from generation to generation. As a research university, Brandeis is dedicated to the advancement of the humanities, arts, and social, natural and physical sciences. As a liberal arts institution, Brandeis affirms the importance of a broad and critical education in enriching the lives of students and preparing them for full participation in a changing society, capable of promoting their own welfare, yet remaining deeply concerned about the welfare of others."
Academically, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) seeks to provide optimal conditions for original scholarship, close faculty-student interaction and training as classroom instructors. While training in a traditional discipline is still the bedrock of its doctoral programs, GSAS also recognizes the need for greater interdisciplinarity whereby both faculty and graduate students, across the disciplines, have much greater opportunities to interact and learn from each other. Training the next generation of scholars is a primary (and inspiring) objective of GSAS.
GSAS, like the university, is deeply committed to its social mission. That means, in particular, a vigorous attempt to recruit graduate students that have historically been underrepresented in particular disciplines. It also means a commitment to promote a greater role in society; while many doctoral candidates will pursue academic careers, many more will choose an alternative career — in government service, in the private sector and in other national and international spheres.
Master’s and certificate degrees, in particular, provide a way for the university to bring its scholarship and critical skills directly into nonacademic organizations, and thereby contribute significantly to level of analysis and quality of decision-making and service.