CEHD Graduate Programs Advance to Top 10% in the Nation
U.S. News and World Report identifies education graduate programs among best in nation
The education graduate programs within University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) have advanced 12 places in U.S. News and World Report’s 2023 rankings, placing the college in the top 10% of all education colleges across the nation. Housed within CEHD’s School of Education (SOE), the education graduate programs are now ranked 27th among 272 programs.
“This year’s U.S. News and World Report ranking marks a progressively upward trend for the College of Education and Human Development, and speaks to the continual high achievement of our faculty and graduate students,” said Gary T. Henry, dean of CEHD and professor in SOE and the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. “I am proud of our faculty’s ongoing pursuit of nationally recognized projects critical to education, which they regularly bring into the classroom and create rich opportunities for our graduate students to engage in cutting-edge research. Mostly taught by full-time instructors, our portfolio of graduate programs also continues to grow, with multiple concentration options, stackable certificates and additions like our new interdisciplinary master’s degree in evaluation science — responding to our students’ needs and interests.”
U.S. News and World Report evaluated CEHD on its research activity, the academic excellence of their entering students, their faculty resources and opinions on program quality from education school deans and school hiring professionals.
Research-driven programs
The SOE offers a broad portfolio of competitive, research-driven graduate programs, including a Ph.D. in Education with four specialization areas, a Ph.D. in Educational Statistics and Research Methods, an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, and several master’s or specialist programs in educational technology, literacy, special education, school psychology and teacher leadership. CEHD faculty also teach within the interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Education and Social Policy program and M.S. in Interdisciplinary Evaluation Science, housed within UD’s Graduate College.
Informed by research and grounded in rigorous methodological approaches, CEHD’s graduate programs in education are designed and primarily taught by nationally-known, award-winning faculty in the SOE. Students develop content knowledge and advanced skills through coursework, thought-provoking symposia and immersive practicum experiences.
Outside of the classroom, many students also have an opportunity to work closely with faculty on educational research. In 2022, CEHD faculty garnered over $24 million in funded research projects, many of which supported graduate student assistantships.
For example, a team of graduate and undergraduate students worked with Rosalie Rolón-Dow, associate professor in the SOE, on a large, multi-year investigation on microaggressions, microaffirmations and campus climate at predominately white institutions of higher education. Her team of students facilitated and analyzed Black and Latinx student storytelling of their experiences with everyday interactions that either insulted or affirmed their racial or cultural identity in academic contexts.
Recognized for their academic excellence, CEHD graduate students also receive external and internal funding support for their research. For example, Ye Shen, a Ph.D. in Education student specializing in Literacy, received an Arnsdorf Summer Research Fellowship and a UD doctoral fellowship to support research she conducted with Stephanie Del Tufo, assistant professor in the SOE. Together, Shen and Del Tufo studied how parent-child reading affected the developing reading skills of bilingual children who speak a language other than English at home. Shen served as first author on the publication that resulted from their research.
Supportive faculty
Across graduate programs, students consistently highlight CEHD’s supportive faculty members and staff. Committed to the development of their graduate students, CEHD faculty offer mentorship and guidance as students prepare to become educators, researchers and leaders in their fields.
Chanel Gaither, a doctoral student in the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program, is using her applied research to complement her work at Ascend Legacy Academy, an innovative boarding school for Black, male high schoolers that she founded in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Gaither spoke highly of her advisor, Kenneth Shores, assistant professor in the SOE, appreciating his guidance and support.
“The support I have received from my advisor, Dr. Kenneth Shores, has been invaluable,” Gaither said. “His ability to challenge me so that I can grow as a researcher while showing empathy has been integral to my growth as an educator and scholar.”
Recognizing the integral role that faculty play in the professional development of graduate students, CEHD hired 10 new faculty members in 2022. Many of these new faculty members teach and advise within CEHD’s graduate programs and the interdisciplinary programs housed in UD’s Graduate College.
“I have no doubt that our strong ranking this year is due to the strength of our award-winning faculty and their dedication to mentoring and supporting our graduate students,” said Steve Amendum, interim director of the SOE and professor. “Students in master’s- and doctoral-level programs are able to work closely with faculty from the beginning of their graduate studies.”
For more information about the U.S. News and World Report rankings and other ranked UD graduate programs, visit UD’s Institutional Research and Effectiveness Rankings webpage.
To learn more about our graduate programs, visit our website.
Article by Jessica Henderson. Graphic by Shelly Silva.
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