About
The Department of Education is committed to improving educational practices and opportunities for children and adults through sustained inquiry and by preparing students to promote effective learning and teaching across a wide range of contexts and systems. The department is a vibrant, interdisciplinary community dedicated to professional practice, applied research, and preparing our students for a variety of careers. We offer the following degree programs: BA in Education; MA in Educational Studies; MA and Graduate Certificates in Museum Studies; MA/EdS in School Psychology; MS and PhD in STEM education; and MAT in Elementary, Middle, and High School disciplines; and Art Education.
We are a home for the study of how people learn and how to help people learn. Much of our work focuses on K–12 schools, but we study education in other contexts as well, including museums and universities. Many of our students are preparing to work in schools, as teachers or as school psychologists; some are preparing for careers in museums; and some for careers in education research. Thus, we prepare prospective educators for professional practice in varied contexts, such as in teachers' exploration and assessment of their students' ideas and reasoning, in school psychologists' examination of children's strengths and needs, or in museum educators' study of visitors' learning experiences.
Our department's scholarship includes critical areas of education research, such as: studies of the cultural, historical, and philosophical influences that shape schools as institutions; investigations of the nature and dynamics of learning in particular academic disciplines; and analyses of teachers' thinking, among many others. Our faculty conduct research on learning and teaching in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and on educational inequities and the dynamics of race, gender, and power in institutional contexts. Students have opportunities to participate in this research, which often takes place in collaboration with other academic departments on campus.
We welcome you into a department that will challenge you to grapple with new ideas, grow in your understanding, and give back to others through many different roles as educators.
