It's usually just a small phrase at the bottom, and probably one that most Dartmouth students don't even finish reading.
At the end of advertisements for plays and other Hopkins Center events, there's a sentence which details the price of ticket for undergraduates.
And it's often followed by a higher price for graduate students.
In fact, over 1,000 students on the Dartmouth campus pay higher prices for Hop tickets.
These overlooked and forgotten students at the College are the graduate students -- about 1,400 in total. And there is more to Dartmouth's graduate population than the 900 students at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, the Thayer School of Engineering and the Dartmouth Medical School -- about 500 more attend one of 18 liberal arts and sciences graduate programs.
These lesser-known programs have been around for more than 100 years -- the first Ph.D. was granted in the classics department in 1885.
Graduate programs
In 1965, the Board of Trustees authorized every department to create a graduate program if it desired and the mathematics department was the first to officially create one. By 1969, almost all of the existing graduate programs had been accepted by the College.
But the College limited these programs. According to Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies Dorothea French, the Trustees once set a rule that the graduate population could not exceed 10 percent of the undergraduate population.
Today, however, the number of graduate students, including those at the three graduate schools, equals about 25 percent of the undergraduate population.
This number is still small in comparison to other universities. French said this difference is due to financial and space issues, as well as the fact that some College departments do not want to offer graduate programs.
Admissions brochures give still another reason why there are comparatively few graduate students here -- the undergraduate focus is a major selling point for Dartmouth.
While the graduate programs may run in the background of the College, students from around the world still hear about, apply and come to study at Dartmouth's 13 doctoral degree programs and five master's degree programs.
This year, 306 students are enrolled in an arts and sciences program, 60 are enrolled in the evaluative clinical sciences program and each term, between 50 and 120 students are enrolled in the master of arts in liberal studies program.
The dean of the faculty of arts and sciences and the provost oversee these graduate programs.
More interaction, flexible programs
One could say that students who come to a school like Dartmouth for graduate study are asking to be ignored. But graduate students and faculty members say there are plenty of reasons to come here.
For example, the College provides an intimate environment and room for more student-faculty relationships, according to Dean of Graduate Studies Roger Sloboda.
Sloboda is also a biology professor, and he said he often spends time interacting with his students.
Students who want to continue the experience of a small liberal arts school similar to their undergraduate one also come here, French said.
But "Dartmouth can be a detriment for students who do not have an area of focus, because there are less opportunities for them to explore," she said.
Leslie Stone, a second-year student in the electro-acoustic music program, came from a small undergraduate college. She said she chose to come to Dartmouth because it had the most flexible music program available.
"I don't plan to make a living as a composer like most of the other students. I wanted a place where I could study electro-acoustic music, while my interests are mostly computer science and its applications in music," Stone said. "At most other places, there is either a composition program or you can get your degree in computer science."
The master of arts in electro-acoustic music program is "the only one of its kind in the country -- preparing its students for professional careers as composers, music software writers and musical instrument designers," Music Department Chair Jon Appleton said.
This two-year interdisciplinary master's degree program, which combines music, computer science, engineering, acoustics and music admits three students from approximately 50 applications into each incoming class.
Some grad students, such as Brent Becker, a fifth-year physics program Ph.D. candidate, come to Dartmouth to work with specific professors in their field of interest.
"I knew of a professor and his work, and I wanted to come here and work for him, " Becker said. He had wanted to work with Physics Professor Michael Sturge, but is currently working with another professor.
Admissions is decided by an individual committee from each program before Sloboda's department makes the final decision.
French and Sloboda both said Dartmouth's programs suffer in national ranking as a result of their small size, especially since they do not receive as much funding as other schools.
However, according to Sloboda, "Dartmouth is equally as competitive as the large research universities, such as Stanford, Duke and other major universities."
The graduate students The Dartmouth interviewed said they thought the graduate programs at the College are of high quality despite their size.
"In physics, while you don't have the breadth you would find at some of the research institutions, the areas we do are quite good," Becker said "There are professors here that are definitely worth coming up and learning from."
Not a happening scene
Graduate students admit it -- life outside the classroom is not exciting. They do not have a student center of their own nor does the College do much programming for them.
This past weekend, hundreds of graduate students attended one of the few events planned for them -- a social in the Collis Common Ground with a few kegs and a D.J.
Some graduate students said they do not feel welcome even at events at the Hopkins Center.
Stone said she does not like the fact that undergraduates may pay $3 for a show while graduate students have to pay $10 for the same event.
Graduate students said they do not feel comfortable attending undergraduate events because of their age. "Being older really sets you apart," Becker said.
"Even if I felt more welcome on frat row, I probably wouldn't spend any time there," Stone said.
The College's location is certainly a setback. Dartmouth "does not offer the type of social and night life 20-year-olds who do not like the outdoors are seeking," said Melody Burkins, president of the Graduate Student Council. Burkins is enrolled in the doctoral earth science and environmental studies program.
Nevertheless, graduate students get by and manage to enjoy their time at the College. After all, as Becker said, "It's also graduate school, so you don't have a lot of time to invest in social life."
Mingling with undergrads
Graduate students may not feel comfortable at undergraduate parties and events, but they do want to interact with undergraduates academically.
Burkins said the graduate student council is working to help undergraduates see graduate students as a positive resource on campus.
The council is encouraging the graduate population to participate in such programs as the Women in Science Program and the Undergraduate Alliance Network, a group which pairs graduate students with undergraduates who have similar interests.
Burkins said it is also important for undergraduates to realize that "we are not taking their resources away."
The council also serves as a link between the three graduate schools by organizing events and addresses concerns of the graduate community.
Dartmouth graduate students interact with undergraduates as teaching assistants, usually for one or two terms. Unlike teaching assistants large research institutions, however, they do not run laboratories or courses on their own. The doctoral programs are in biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, cognitive neuroscience, computer science, engineering, earth sciences, evaluative clinical sciences, mathematics, pharmacology and toxicology, physics, physiology and psychology.
The master's degree programs are in comparative literature, evaluative clinical sciences, electro-acoustic music, engineering and liberal studies.
