Baylor University in Waco, Texas, is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and over 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.

Baylor University enjoys high standing among many national rating services that evaluate quality of education, research activity, affordability, baccalaureate value, and athletic excellence. These rankings recognize not only Baylor as a whole, but also our many respected schools and departments, which are led by our gifted, award-winning professors. Their awards are too numerous to include. 

At Baylor, students are challenged to think beyond the classroom by actively participating in domestic and global research, engaging in study abroad opportunities, and utilizing the resources of the university to lay the groundwork for a successful future. We seek to provide students with the opportunity to interact and dialogue with individuals from different backgrounds and with diverse experiences. By creating this "dialogue of difference" in our residential communities, organizations, activities and classrooms, we hope to prepare our students for meaningful engagement in a global society.

At Baylor, students are challenged to think beyond the classroom by actively participating in domestic and global research, engaging in study abroad opportunities, and utilizing the resources of the university to lay the groundwork for a successful future.

Baylor is large enough to offer strong academic challenges and room to explore almost any career path. We offer over 120 baccalaureate programs in fields as varied as business, engineering, nursing, pre-medicine, music and computer science, along with over 75 master's programs, over 45 doctoral programs and the education specialist program.

However, Baylor is intimate in scale and we keep the learning process personal. Approximately 93% of our classes are taught by Baylor faculty members, and the rest are taught by exceptionally well-prepared doctoral students. With an average class size of just 26 students and a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, it's easy to develop a strong working relationship with each of your instructors.

The Baylor college experience is special. We cultivate a rich campus life that will help you grow intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. Whether you're enjoying Diadeloso (our campus-wide "Day of the Bear" celebration), taking some time to reflect in chapel or just hanging out over coffee, you'll feel like a part of the Baylor family from the moment you set foot on Fountain Mall.

At Baylor, we seek to provide students with the opportunity to interact and dialogue with individuals from different backgrounds and with diverse experiences. By creating this "dialogue of difference" in our residential communities, organizations, activities and classrooms, we hope to prepare our students for meaningful engagement in a global society.

The Graduate School at Baylor University serves students in over a hundred programs across the humanities, arts, and sciences with resources designed to holistically support their academic and professional development.  Graduate students are a key part of Baylor’s scholarly and research community, producing nearly 800 professional presentations and over 600 research articles per year. Their work is supported by a wide range of programs and opportunities within their departments and across campus. The Graduate School provides generous travel grants to help students present at professional conferences and conduct dissertation research. Baylor’s Graduate Research Center offers a place within our central libraries specifically designed for graduate students. Our Graduate Writing Center and Dissertation Writing Lab help with the variety of writing tasks students undertake. And the Graduate School provides a select number of summer dissertation fellowships for students in the final stages of their doctoral degree.

Baylor alumni pursue a wide range of careers. More than 50% of PhD graduates over the past five years are in full-time faculty roles, with another 20% in post-doctoral positions. The remaining 30% serve full-time in industry, government, K-12 education, clinical practice, and the social sector. The Graduate School’s professional development programs meet this variety by helping students prepare for a wide range of career paths. Our GPS and TeaCHE programs assist those planning for an academic career. We collaborate with our Office of Career and Professional Development to help those pursuing work outside the academy. For international students who are non-native English speakers, we coordinate with Baylor’s Center for Global Engagement to provide English language support.

Baylor University’s academic strategic plan, Illuminate, includes a goal of reaching R1 status in the Carnegie research rankings.  To reach this goal we will need to increase the number of research doctoral graduates, research expenditures, and research staff.  The Graduate School will be one of the primary engines in achieving each of these goals.  Illuminate targets faculty appointments and research centers working toward five signature academic initiatives: Health; Data Sciences; Materials Science; Human Flourishing, Leadership and Ethics; and Latin America.  Our graduate students will be crucial to the success of each of these initiatives.