The current dean of The Graduate School is Suzanne Barbour, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology, who joined Duke in 2022.

The Graduate School is administered by a dean, who with the advice an executive committee of the Graduate Faculty, coordinates the graduate offerings of all departments in the Arts and Sciences, the non-professional degree programs of the professional schools of divinity, law, business, environment and earth sciences, the basic science departments of the School of Medicine, and certain professionally oriented graduate programs as well.

At Duke, the graduate faculty (currently numbering 1,000) consists of all members of the university faculty who have been so designated by their respective departments or schools and approved by the dean of the Graduate School.

Since the early 1960s, the dean of the Graduate School has concurrently held the title of vice provost.

This dual title is in recognition of the role played by the dean in reviewing academic departments and doctoral programs throughout the university.