History and Rankings
History and Rankings
The WFED program originated in 1920 in the School of Engineering and was called the Department of Industrial Education. On June 11, 1923, the Department of Industrial Education moved from the School of Engineering to join three other academic units-Agricultural Education, Education and Psychology, and Home Economics Education in forming the School of Education, now the College of Education.
In 1925, new graduate programs in Vocational Industrial Education were inaugurated. They now lead to degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. The first Master's degree in Industrial Education were conferred in August, 1929. In 1939, the first doctoral degree in Industrial Education were conferred upon Edward C. Estabrooke and George H. Parks.
In 1944, the Department of Industrial Education was officially designated as the agency for the State Department of Education for the administration of Occupational Competency Examinations to qualified applicants in central Pennsylvania.
In 1963, the designation Department of Industrial Education was changed to the Department of Vocational Education. In 1977, the Department of Industrial Education changed its name to the Department of Vocational-Industrial Education. In 1983, the National Taiwan Normal University and The Pennsylvania State University arranged to provide professional and cultural advantages to faculty members and students through an International Education Exchange Program.
In 1994, Dr. Kenneth C. Gray, Professor-in-Charge of Vocational Industrial Education, conducted a contest among the graduate students resulting in a name change from Vocational Industrial Education to Workforce Education & Development. From 1997 to 2001, the Workforce Education & Development program at Penn State University was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as being among the top three vocational education programs in the United States. A detailed history of the Workforce Education and Development at Penn State University can be found in the Spring, 1998 issue of the Workforce Education Forum.
Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
