About the College

College of Education Gallery of Success 2012The College of Education is ideally situated in the heart of North Philadelphia with city schools, student and teacher populations at our doorstep. Our prominent location provides the resources and challenges of a large, diverse and lively urban center. By pursuing our mission, to empower children and their communities through education, we serve our surrounding neighborhoods, the city of Philadelphia, schools and school districts across the region and the nation.

On our sprawling urban campus, in our surrounding neighborhood schools and across the city, we educate teachers and school leaders who have the knowledge and skills to reach all of our children. Driven by the most current research and our extensive data base of best practices, we create new models of teaching and learning that enable our graduates to succeed and lead the movement to improve educational achievement nationwide. Our graduates are problem-solvers, innovators and creative thinkers. They debate ideas in the abstract, but they apply them in practical ways to address the concrete situations that challenge educators every day. They commit themselves, as the College does, to education for the long term, to life-long learning, to using the newest tools to prepare students not only for the present but for a rapidly expanding and complex world.

Our faculty provides the foundation of research and knowledge our students and supervisors in the field require to address the needs of children and schools today. Their insight and the new information they generate informs decision making at the highest levels and provides educators and school personnel with the tools they need to strengthen educational practice.

Size and Scope

Ritter Hall and Ritter Annex, Temple UniversityThe College of Education is one of the largest colleges within Temple University. At present, the College enrolls over 1,300 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students for a total enrollment, including non-matriculating students, of over 2,300. Undergraduate majors primarily prepare to become teachers, although some expect to fill other roles in educational settings. Graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels prepare students for teaching and also for careers as school administrators, counselors, school psychologists, researchers, policy makers and professors of education.

The College is organized into two departments: Teaching & Learning and Psychological, Organizational, & Leadership Studies in Education. Currently, the College offers independently or in collaboration with other schools or departments, 31 areas of concentration leading to Pennsylvania state certification. In addition to pursuing certification as part of the regular undergraduate program, students may elect a five-year program, which allows them to earn a B.A. in a content area and a Ed.M. in five years, and students who have already earned a B.A. may enroll in a graduate certification program independently or as part of a master’s or doctoral program.

Dedication to Practice

All programs in the College emphasize clinical experience and practice as a primary means of learning about the profession and acquiring necessary skills and competencies. From the College's founding, we have cultivated a special relationship with the School District of Philadelphia as well as with several nearby suburban districts. All pre-service teachers and interns in most other fields spend time in our network of cooperating schools with which we have special relationships. Our commitment to improving educational practice locally includes:

  • Numerous collaborative projects with the School District of Philadelphia and other school districts surrounding our Ambler campus to provide ongoing professional development and opportunities for advanced education to teachers and administrators;
  • High standards for admission to and completion of certification programs in order to ensure graduates well prepared to address the needs of diverse students;
  • Exposure to different cultures and communities of thought through courses in the arts and sciences as well as carefully targeted field placements to enable new practitioners to communicate more effectively with the communities they will serve;
  • Research aimed at improving professional practice and increasing student achievement;
  • Special programs designed to meet the personnel needs of schools in the region and provide professional opportunities for graduates, including certification programs in hard-to-fill areas such as math, science, Spanish and special education.

Historic Commitment to Public Schools

The College of Education at Temple University, founded in 1919, supports the University as a national center for excellence in both teaching and research with an international presence and a special commitment to serving the communities of metropolitan Philadelphia. The University’s richly diverse student population remains one of its greatest strengths. This diversity of people and perspectives enriches the College, influencing all aspects of academic life including its programs, curriculum, collaborations and field placements. From the College's founding, we have cultivated a special relationship with the School District of Philadelphia. The College continues to provide the School District with more teachers than any other college and to work collaboratively with School District personnel to address the pressing needs of Philadelphia students and their families.

As the largest school of education in the metropolitan area and among the largest in the state and country, the College has a strong influence on the field, especially in the greater Philadelphia region. We educate the largest number of teachers for Philadelphia, and as a member of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, we acknowledge a special responsibility to the public and to the schools and school districts across the state.

Research into Practice

Although the College defines its central mission as educating highly qualified practitioners, it also seeks to add substantively to the knowledge base informing educational practice. In addition to conducting their own research on topics that range from how young children and young adults learn to how to improve the quality of teaching in urban schools, faculty members work closely with dozens of doctoral students each year who, in turn, contribute in significant ways to the pursuit of new knowledge in their fields.

Programs and Departments

For a complete list of programs, including descriptions and admission requirements, see our Programs page.