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Programs of Study
Programs of Study

Graduate education at the University of Michigan is a shared enterprise. Rackham Graduate School works together with faculty in the schools and colleges of the university to provide more than 180 graduate degree programs and to sustain a dynamic intellectual climate within which graduate students thrive.
Admissions
Admissions

Rackham Graduate School and individual graduate programs work as a team to manage the application review process. As an applicant, you will be interacting with both Rackham and your program office.
Funding
Funding

The University of Michigan provides many sources of financial assistance to help students meet educational and living expenses. Whether you are a prospective student, a current student, a master’s or doctoral student, we want to make sure you know about the funding available for your graduate education.
Navigating Your Degree
Navigating Your Degree

From your first registration through the final stages of the degree process, we’re here to help every step of the way.
Professional Development
Professional Development

Rackham offers opportunities, funding, and resources that prepare graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to access the wide range of careers available to them, and to pursue interdisciplinary learning and community building related to professional interests.
Student Experience
Student Experience

Resources to support the diverse backgrounds and experiences that compose our Rackham community.
About
About

Students are enrolled in Rackham degree programs (doctoral, master’s, dual degree, and certificate) taught and advised by faculty in graduate programs in nearly every school and college across the Ann Arbor campus. Rackham graduate programs are also located on the Dearborn and Flint campuses, where they are administered separately.

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Michigan Doctoral Experience Study (MDES)
Findings and Insights
Findings from the Michigan Doctoral Experience Study: Student Well-Being and the Ph.D. Journey

Findings from the Michigan Doctoral Experience Study: Student Well-Being and the Ph.D. Journey

October 2025 | Exploring Well-Being in Graduate Education: A Rackham Symposium
John Gonzalez, Allyson Flaster

The Michigan Doctoral Experience Study (MDES) is a longitudinal study of Rackham Ph.D. students that examines the process of academic socialization and scholarly development. Now in its ninth year, the study contains data on over 6,500 students, making it a rich source of information on graduate student well-being over the past decade. This presentation provides an overview of MDES’s findings on students’ mental and physical health, stress, intention to quit, and other factors related to well-being. By sharing recent research, we examine how these factors change over time, across cohorts, and among students from different backgrounds. We also share our working model of factors that influence students’ well-being, noting that relationships between these factors are complex.