About the College

College of Education Information

Administration

Vision and Mission

Facts about the College

Undergraduate Programs

 

• 2,532 undergraduate students at 20 campuses, including University Park

• 23 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 (4 major national awards in the past 11 years)

• 550 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 $52,000 in Pennsylvania

Student Scholarships

• More than $1.58 million in College and University scholarships awarded annually to undergraduate students

Graduate Programs

• All graduate programs that are ranked by U.S. News & World Report appear in the top 20, with six in the top 10. As a whole, the college is ranked 26th.

  Workforce Education #1
  Higher Education Administration #4
  Rehabilitation Counseling #4
  Student Counseling/Personnel Services #6
  Administration/Supervision (Educational Leadership) #7
  Educational Psychology #8
  Education Policy #10
  Curriculum & Instruction #14
  Elementary Education #14
  Secondary Education #17
  Special Education #17

• A major center of graduate education at Penn State with 1,123 graduate students

• 161 international graduate students from 21 countries

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

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

• 4 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

• 16 Fulbright Fellowships in the last 6 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
  Journal of Counseling & Development
  Journal of Research in Rural Education
  Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
  Journal of Teacher Education
  Learning Disabilities Research & Practice
  Learning and Instruction
  Rehabilitation Education
  Science Education

Funded Research and Private Support

• More than $12 million in externally funded grants and contracts in 2010-2011

• An endowment whose market value exceeds $31 million, part of the University's general endowment of $1.831 billion

• Approximately 52,000 alumni

National Accreditations

• Fully accredited by all pertinent agencies, including NCATE, APA, NASP, CORE, and CACREP
• All of the college's professional education certification programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education

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.
• Krause Innovation Studio
  This new initiative focuses on research and development around innovative technology-supported pedagogy in higher education. The largest gift ever the the College—$6.5 million from Gay and Bill Krause—allows faculty to draw upon emerging technologies to transform their teaching and scholarship.
• 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.
• American Journal of Education
  AJE's home is the Department of Education Policy Studies. This journal is considered one of the most important sources of research papers on education. A recent survey placed AJE among 11 core academic journals with "demonstrated impact."
• 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 won four major national awards in the past 10 years—most recently the 2011 Spirit of Partnership Award, given by the University of South Carolina's PDS National Conference Planning Team.
• 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/Alaskan 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.
• Joint Degree Programs in Law and Education Policy Studies
  Students work concurrently toward two degrees: a Juris Doctor degree and an advanced degree in one of four Eduation Policy Studies programs.

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
  This $27.3 million project with NASA 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 (PEPP) is a well-established after-school tutoring program for middle and high school students in urban areas. The Summer College Opportunity Program in Education (SCOPE) 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).