Princeton University Graduate School  The Graduate School of Princeton University is the main graduate school of Princeton University. Founded in 1869, the School is responsible for the majority of Princeton's master's and doctoral degree programs in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. The school offers Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in 42 disciplines. It also administers several pre-professional programs, including the Master in Finance (M.Fin.), Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.), and Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master in Public Affairs (M.P.A.), Master in Public Policy (M.P.P.), and Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degrees. The Graduate School is widely considered to be one of the best academic institutions in the United States and in the world. Students are able to work directly with faculty advisors, many of whom are the leading scholars in their fields. The relatively small number of students allows doctoral education to be tailored to each students needs, emphasizing original and independent research in a tight-knit community of scholars. Students who complete the program continue on to careers in academia, government, and industry. The Graduate School has produced a number of Nobel Prize Laureates, Fields Medal Winners, university presidents, cabinet ministers, MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellows, Pulitzer Prize winners, ambassadors, heads of state, and heads of government. The School also guarantees fully funded stipends, which covers tuition, health fees, and living expenses, for all PhD students. PhD students may earn additional funding from teaching fellowships, research assistantships, and competitive awards. Master's students are also able to graduate debt-free through Princeton's "no-loan" policy. In 1771, future President James Madison began graduate work at Princeton University under the tutelage of President John Witherspoon, another founding father. Often considered Princeton's "first graduate student," Madison studied Hebrew and Political Philosophy, which provided him the foundation for his later career as the Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia, Secretary of State, and President of the United States. After his studies, students were then permitted to stay at the university after receiving their bachelor's degrees. By 1869, graduate education was standardized through the establishment of general examinations and graduate fellowships. Princeton conferred the first graduate degrees to James F. Williamson and William Libby in 1879. The first Dean of the Graduate School was Andrew Fleming West.