When SFU opened in 1965 the Board of Governors and senior academic staff agreed that there were not enough students to form a separate faculty of Graduate Studies. For the first couple of years, each academic department was responsible for the administration of their own graduate students and the development of graduate programs. In 1968 the Senate Committee on Graduate Studies approved the formation of departmental graduate studies committees and the recommendation of a Dean of Graduate Studies. In 1971, the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies was officially created. Reporting to the Vice-President, Academic, the Dean was given responsibility for graduate studies policy development and graduate student services, including the administration of research and grants for faculty and scholarships for students. In 1994 the Dean's role was combined with that of Vice-President, Research with the graduate studies portfolio reporting to the Vice-President, Academic. In 2000 the Dean of Graduate Studies was made a separate position once again, with the Vice-President, Research taking responsibility for research administration and the Dean of Graduate Studies reporting back again to the Vice-President, Academic and Provost.

The Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies ensures that graduate students throughout the university conform to standards approved by the university Senate. The Dean is assisted by an Associate Dean of Graduate Studies who is responsible for matters that involve individual students and individual graduate programs. The Dean retains primary responsibility for policy matters and external relations. The Dean approves supervisory committees, recommends the awarding of degrees, advises on program development and approves new graduate programs. The Dean also administers and provides information about all graduate awards and liaises with national and provincial granting agencies. The Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies maintains all formal graduate student records from the time of application to the awarding of degrees. The Dean's office also administers Special Arrangement students and Post-doctoral Fellows. The Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies organizes a number of events throughout the year including Graduate Scholarships Day, the TA/TM Day, library workshops for graduate students, SFU Graduate Student Certificate Program in University Teaching and Learning, and the SFU Teaching, Learning, and Research Showcase.

The Dean of Graduate Studies participates in university administration through membership on senate and various senate committees. The Dean serves as Chair of the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, the Executive Committee of the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, the Assessment Committee for New Graduate Programs, the University Ethics Review Committee, the Senate Graduate Awards Adjudication Committee, and the President's Research Grant Committee. The Dean serves as an ex officio member of Senate, the Senate Committee on Academic Planning, and the Senate Policy Committee for Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries. Over the years, the Dean of Graduate Studies has also served on a series of external boards, including the TRIUMF (Tri-University Meson Facility) Board of Management, the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, and the Western Canadian Deans of Graduate Studies Committee.