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 At the Michigan State University College of Education, it starts with an outstanding faculty, which constructs rigorous programs of study, mentors and teaches students with unsurpassed enthusiasm, and engages in millions of dollars of funded research. It is also clear that no school of education can be great without great students. Graduate students in the college are essential partners in developing new knowledge and in teaching the next generation of educators. Although many factors contribute to the quality of a school of education, there is one that sets this college apart. From its inception, the College of Education has been dedicated to preparing teachers and other educational professionals while conducting research on problems of practice and contributing to policy analysis and development at the local, national, and even international levels. Scholars in the college engage in more than $17 million in funded research annually that contributes to enhanced practice and policy in K-16 schools. The college offers 10 doctoral programs, 3 educational specialist programs, and 11 master's degree programs through four departments (Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education; Educational Administration; Kinesiology; and Teacher Education). The college is focused on blending theory and practice in a research-oriented professional school of education, and the result is a remarkable experience for graduate students who benefit from an array of experiences as researchers and teachers.
So what makes this College of Education great? Great faculty, great programs, and great students--all rooted in a college with an enduring focus on the three p's: preparation, practice, and policy.
preparation
As part of a land-grant university, the college's responsibilities to prepare effective teachers and other educational practitioners have always been of paramount concern. As one example, the college has fashioned a five-year teacher preparation program that has been hailed as a national model. The college has the distinction of being one of only a handful of universities participating in the Carnegie Corporation's landmark initiative Teachers for a New Era. In addition, the college prepares counselors, special educators, school psychologists, K-12 administrators, student affairs professionals, researchers, exercise physiologists, and others who enter the workplace in a variety of educational settings.
practice
Issues of practice--be it in K-16 classrooms, rehabilitation centers, athletic fields, or other workplaces--are never far from the research, teaching, and outreach that are core to the college's mission. Whether it is helping teachers harness technology to increase student engagement and learning, determining the best literacy practices in the early grades, or even designing rigorous and coherent mathematics and science curricula, the college is focused on the practical outcomes of research and outreach. Faculty members maintain close working relationships with K-12 teachers, administrators, policymakers, and other professionals. It is this blend of theory and practice, of the world of ideas and that of teaching and learning that has made the college an exciting place. One way the college has maintained its preeminent status as both a professional school and a research- oriented college is by emphasizing research that is focused on issues of educational practice. Simply stated, the college is committed to preparing practitioners and studying the nature of practice and the way practitioners can best learn.
policy
The college contributes to debate about policies and provides opportunities for policymakers to gain insights about educational issues through a variety of modes. The college established the Education Policy Center at MSU to harness the policy research of our faculty to support and inform educational policy debates at every level of government. At times, the Educational Policy Center generates data to address questions of policy and at other times provides seminars and forums for sharing research to policymakers. The Office of K-12 Outreach engages with teachers, administrators, university faculty and K-12 policymakers to help them translate educational research to application in schools and state and federal policy decisions.
p 3 = Quality
Combining our unique approach to the preparation of educational professionals, the focus on theory, research and practice, and a commitment to enhancing educational policy at all levels, the College of Education offers high-quality graduate programs and is recognized among the nation's leaders in research, teaching, and outreach.
The college has earned an international reputation through the achievements of its outstanding faculty, accomplished alumni, and innovative and rigorous programs of professional study. Highly regarded by faculty of peer institutions, the college is one of only a few to have eight of its graduate programs consistently ranked in the top 10 nationwide. In the 2007 issue of U.S. News and World Report's Best Graduate Schools, the College was ranked first in elementary and secondary education for the 12th consecutive year. We were additionally ranked #1 in rehabilitation counseling, #2 in curriculumof 249 graduate-degree granting colleges of education.
and instruction, #4 in higher education administration, #5 in
educational psychology, #9 in educational policy and #10 in
administration/supervision. Overall, the college was ranked
fourteenth out
The college offers prospective graduate students a unique combination of opportunities in a well-regarded, accessible community of scholars. Faculty members are among the best in their respective fields and are committed to graduate education. Faculty members provide endless opportunities for students to participate in research and the flexibility to create programs of study that span programs across the college and university. The college is known for its culture of collaborative scholarship and the faculty encourages students to approach their scholarship in a similar manner. Because the college's many offices and centers actively provide contexts for research and dissemination of new knowledge to practitioners and policymakers, graduate students have ample opportunities to gain a diverse array of professional development experiences. The integration of theory and practice in this research-oriented professional school creates a strong background for graduates of the college as they pursue their careers upon program completion. MSU offers a pleasant, convenient, safe, diverse, and reasonably priced place to live while pursuing graduate education. The college's offerings at the master's level also provide access to our best faculty through online instruction and classes offered at distant sites.
preparation * practice * policy = quality at MSU's College of Education
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