Facts About the College

Undergraduate Programs

• 2,755 undergraduate students at 20 campuses, including University Park

• Over $500,000 in scholarships awarded annually to undergraduate and graduate students

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

• Additional programs in Rehabilitation Services and Workforce Education

• Our Professional Development School (teacher preparation program) won the 2004 Holmes Partnership Zimpher Award

• 500 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 $46,500 in Pennsylvania
  

Student Scholarships

• Over $2.5 million in College and University scholarships awarded annually to undergraduate and graduate students
  

Graduate Programs

• Nine programs ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report, with six in the top 10:

  Vocational/Technical (Workforce) Education #1
  Higher Education Administration #2
  Rehabilitation Counseling #5
  Administration/Supervision #5
  Counseling/Personnel Services #9
  Education Policy #10
  Educational Psychology #16
  Special Education #20
  Curriculum & Instruction #22

• A major center of graduate education at Penn State with more than 1,112 students

• 144 international graduate students from 29 countries

• 20 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 7 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

• 8 Fulbright and 7 Spencer Fellowships in the last 10 years

• 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 for Research in Mathematics Education
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice
Rehabilitation Education
Science Education

Funded Research and Private Support

• More than $15 million in externally funded grants and contracts in 2005–2006

• An endowment whose book value exceeds $25 million, part of the University's general endowment of $1.39 billion

• More than 51,000 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 won top national awards—the Holmes Partnership Zimpher Award as the best university/school district partnership in the nation, and the Distinguished Teacher Education Program by the Association for Teacher Educators.
• Distance Education Programs
  Penn State's World Campus offers 11 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
  The AILP is the longest-running program in the U.S. that 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, the ABA program prepares caregivers to work with people with autism and related disorders.

Outreach

• Center for Science and the Schools
  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.
• 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.

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