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About the College

About the College

 

Administration


Vision and Mission

Facts about the College

Undergraduate Programs

     

  • 2,696 undergraduate students at 20 campuses, including University Park

  • 22 teacher preparation areas leading to state certification at elementary and secondary levels

  • Additional programs in Rehabilitation & Human Services, Workforce Education, and Education & Public Policy

  • Award-winning Professional Development School teacher preparation program (three major national awards in the past eight years)

  • 600 student teachers placed in schools each year throughout Pennsylvania and beyond

  • Outstanding success rates on Praxis standardized tests for educators

  • Award-winning post-graduate programs to assist with induction into the world of practice

  • 98% of graduates are employed or in graduate school within one year of graduation

  • Starting salaries for teachers as high as $51,685 in Pennsylvania

 

Student Scholarships

  • Over $1.86 million in College and University scholarships awarded annually to undergraduate and graduate students

 

Graduate Programs

  • All eleven graduate programs that are ranked by U.S. News & World Report appear in the top 20, with seven in the top 10:

    Higher Education Administration #1
    Vocational/Technical Education (Workforce Education) #3
    Rehabilitation Counseling #3
    Administration/Supervision #5
    Secondary Education #8
    Education Policy #10
    Student Counseling/Personnel Services #10
    Educational Psychology #13
    Special Education #13
    Curriculum & Instruction #14
    Elementary Education #18

 

  • A major center of graduate education at Penn State with about 1,000 graduate students

  • 142 international graduate students from 24 countries

  • 20 fields of study leading to master's and doctoral degrees

  • Graduate fellowships and assistantships support many incoming and continuing graduate students

  • 5 master's degrees and 9 post-baccalaureate certificates available via Penn State's World Campus

 

 

Renowned Faculty

     

  • Faculty members serve as members of numerous private and government panels, governing boards for state and national organizations, and editorial boards for major journals—one of many criteria for national rankings

  • 11 Fulbright Fellowships in the last 3 years

  • 8 Spencer Fellowships

  • Editorial responsibilities for more than 30 major journals in education, including the following:

  • American Journal of Distance Education
    American Journal of Education
    The Career Development Quarterly
    Comparative Education Review
    Education Finance and Policy
    Journal of Counseling & Development
    Journal of Research in Rural Education
    Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
    Learning Disabilities Research & Practice
    Rehabilitation Education
    Science Education

 

Funded Research and Private Support

  • More than $19 million in externally funded grants and contracts in 2007–2008

  • An endowment whose book value exceeds $23 million, part of the University's general endowment of $1.215 billion

  • About 48,000 alumni

 

National Accreditations

  • Fully accredited by all pertinent agencies, including NCATE, APA, NASP, CORE, and CACREP

 

Points of Pride


The College is involved in a number of initiatives and programs that advance both education research and practice. Included here is a sample of these endeavors.

 

Research

     

  • Center for the Study of Higher Education
    The Center engages researchers, practitioners, and policy leaders alike in examining significant issues of practice and policy confronting higher education at the campus, state, national, and international levels.
  • Adult and Family Literacy
    Both the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy and the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy provide national leadership to improve literacy education through research and its application to practice and professional development.
  • Mid-Atlantic Center for Mathematics Teaching and Learning
    The Mid-Atlantic Center is increasing the supply of Ph.D.’s in mathematics education and conducting research into the teaching and learning of mathematics.
  • Mid-Atlantic Regional Education Laboratory
    This collaborative research lab, under a $34 million contract with the U.S. Department of Education, has been established to enable educators, parents, and state agencies to reach out to researchers for quick answers about instruction and learning.
  • Institute for Research in Training & Development
    The Institute works with Penn State Outreach to provide research and outreach programs to support workforce training and development in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as nationally and internationally.

 

Academic Programs

     

  • Professional Development Schools
    This teacher preparation partnership with the State College Area School District has twice three major national awards in the past eight years—most recently the Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement Award, given by the National Association for Professional Development Schools.
  • Distance Education Programs
    Penn State's World Campus offers 14 high-quality online master's degree and certificate programs, including a graduate certificate in children's literature, to help teachers achieve their career goals.
  • Humphrey Fellowship Program
    This program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, enables midcareer educational leaders from around the world to develop leadership skills in education.
  • American Indian Leadership Program
    This program, the longest-running program of its type in the U.S., prepares American Indians/Alaska Natives for leadership positions in educational organizations.
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
    Winner of the 2003 Outstanding Credit Program Award from the Association for Continuing Higher Education, this program prepares caregivers to work with people with autism and related disorders.

 

Outreach

 

  • Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS)
    A University-wide initiative housed in the College of Education, the Center is devoted to professional development and outreach in science education in the K–12 schools of Pennsylvania and beyond.
  • Aerospace Education Services Project
    CSATS is partnering with NASA in a $27.3 million project that provides professional development and other services to teachers throughout the United States. Education specialists work with schools to infuse cutting-edge science content into extended instructional units.
  • LifeLink PSU
    This collaborative partnership with the State College Area School District provides an enrichment program with age-appropriate peers for special-needs students.
  • Diversity Programs for High School Students
    The Penn State Educational Partnership Program is a well-established after-school tutoring program for middle and high school students in urban areas. The Summer College Opportunity Program in Education is a summer residential program designed to raise the achievement and aspirations of high school students from urban areas.
  • Personnel Professional Development Center
    The PPDC offers career development opportunities for Pennsylvania citizens who wish to teach in occupational or technical training programs.

Note: These Facts About the College are also available in pdf format (188 KB).