Graduate Education

Meet the four graduating students selected by the College of Arts & Sciences as 2025 Graduate Medalists for their accomplishments. 

MFA alum Brian Christian explores the tricky dynamics between human behavior and artificial intelligence. After moving to Seattle—drawn by both it’s tech and literary scenes—he decided to pursue a master’s in creative writing at the UW. He studied creative nonfiction and poetry but did not lose touch with his affinity for computer science.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the Distinguished Teaching Award, the UW’s highest teaching honor. And now, drumroll please, here are this year’s stars.

The College of Arts & Sciences celebrates undergraduate and graduate students from across all four divisions, who are recognized for making the most of their time at the UW. 

Speculative fiction author Anselma Prihandita (PhD, language and rhetoric, 2025), a Nebula Award winner, finds that her creative writing bolsters her scholarly work in unexpected ways. 

June marks the end of many College of Arts & Sciences students’ undergraduate experience. Interested in attending a graduation ceremony? Check out this extensive list of all the celebrations happening with the College's departments.

The University of Washingtons graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Reports 2026 Best Graduate Schools released late Monday.

Throughout her journey from preschool teacher to speech and language pathologist to a special education administrator, Sara Jerger (BS, MS, Speech & Hearing Sciences) has helped students thrive. 

In the College of Arts & Sciences, we are proud to celebrate our first-generation community through a collection of stories! We honor our students and alumni, and their many contributions to our university community and beyond.

Meet the three students selected by the College of Arts & Sciences as 2024 Graduate Medalists for their accomplishments. 

Doctoral student Lorin Green (flute) was featured recently on NPR's Live Sessions in a video performance from Classical King’s “Northwest Focus Live” with host Sean MacLean, performing "I Catch On Fire," by Jake Heggie, with mezzo Myah Rose Paden, and pianist Joe Williams.

The University of Washingtonâs graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Reportâs 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings released late Monday.

E.J. Koh’s debut novel affirms her place among powerful American storytellers. Shawn Wong, professor of English, is mentioned.

"UW is making exciting inroads in data science and data studies, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this interdisciplinary effort, which spans from the humanities to the social and physical sciences and beyond," says Mia Bennett, assistant professor in the Department of Geography.

For several months between the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023, two or three researchers at the UW headed to the Puget Sound Regional Archives in Bellevue and spent each Friday digging into Kitsap County deed books — specifically, around 300 bound volumes and 520 documents between 1921 and 1948. The purpose was to identify and map neighborhoods marked by racist deed provisions and restrictive covenants across the state before 1968. Sophia Dowling, project coordinator with the UW Racial Restrictive Covenants Project, is quoted, and team members Erin Miller and Samantha Cutts are mentioned.