The mission of The Graduate School is to support excellence in graduate education and to promote the teaching, research, scholarship and community activities associated with academic life. In keeping with the Jesuit tradition of the University, The Graduate School prepares advanced students to develop into intellectual and professional leaders capable of making positive contributions to their disciplines and to society as a whole. It seeks to offer focused professional and academic education to students who have limited resources or mobility to achieve personal or social goals. Degree programs educate students to grow as analytical thinkers, effective communicators, who are knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, and creative and responsible participants in a dynamic world.