The Graduate School on Engineering Mechanics was founded in 1996 and received a five-year accreditation of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) directly at the first application in June 1997.
The EM Graduate School embraces all internationally important research groups that are active in the field at Eindhoven University of Technology, Delft University of Technology and at the University of Twente. Eindhoven University of Technology acts as the commissioner of the EM Graduate School, locating the EM Secretariat.
In 2001 a peer review of the activities of the Graduate School over its first period of operation by an international review panel took place and in 2002 the ECOS (Research school accreditation committee)/KNAW-accreditation of the Graduate School on Engineering Mechanics was renewed. In 2006 a peer review of the activities of the Graduate School over its second period of operation by an international review panel took place. In 2007 the Graduate School on Engineering Mechanics received the ECOS/KNAW-accreditation for its third period of operation (2007-2013). In 2013 the Graduate School received the ECOS/KNAW accreditation for its fourth period of operation (2013-2019).