Courses leading to advanced degrees have been offered at the University of Ottawa since 1933. The rapid development in research and postgraduate programs at the Master's and doctorate levels during the 1960's required a degree of coordination that was attainable only by the creation of a central body to plan, develop and administer these activities.

To fulfill these needs, the School of Graduate Studies was established in 1967. Following this decision, responsibility for the operation of graduate programs was transferred from the individual faculties. From that point on, the School has been engaged in developing the regulations and procedures pertaining to all graduate programs and ensuring that they are of the highest quality. Most programs were initially offered in one of the two official languages, and were subsequently offered in both. The School is housed in a building named after its first Dean, Dr. Paul Hagen (1969-1983). A new aspect was added to its mandate in 1999 when responsibility for postdoctoral fellowships was assigned to the School. This led to its current name, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is administered by a council, which oversees two commissions: Sciences and Humanities. The Commission on Graduate Studies in the Sciences and the Commission on Graduate Studies in the Humanities assume responsibility for the academic curriculum in the various programs. Since 1981, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University have initiated joint graduate programs in areas where the interests and expertise of both universities are complementary. This is notably the case in science and engineering.