St. Cloud State University is focused on enhancing its academic portfolio as part of President Robbyn Wacker’s It’s Time strategy, and that work is starting to show results as ranking for St. Cloud State’s College of Education and Learning Design graduate programs jumped in the U.S. News and World Report's 2022 Best Graduate Education Schools ranking.
Developing degrees that are ranked and recognized nationally is a part of the It’s Time strategy. The jump for the College of Education and Learning Design programs demonstrates the leadership and creativity in preparing education professionals.
In the 2022 ranking, the College of Education and Learning Design’s position rose from being unranked in 2021 to being tied for 178th in the nation. St. Cloud State is now the second highest ranked institution for its education graduate programs in Minnesota, following only the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.
U.S. News and World Report evaluates schools based on their research activity, the academic excellence of their entering students, and opinions on program quality from education school deans and hiring professionals.
“We have an amazing team in the College of Education and Learning Design!” said College of Education and Learning Design Dean Dr. Jennifer Mueller. “Everyone has worked really hard toward innovation, and meeting the learning and program delivery needs of a diverse range of students. Our drive toward educational equity and justice has been the impetus of this incredible work. I’m very proud of these efforts.”
“The jump in this year’s rankings speaks to the amazing success of our faculty and staff in developing innovative academic programming and pursuing scholarly work that puts the identified needs of every single learner at the forefront of what we do at St. Cloud State, said Associate Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Education Dr. Claudia Tomany. ‘The teaching of education professionals is foundational to our mission and heritage; if we do that well, our students’ future students will reap the benefits of this work for decades. It is very gratifying.”
The College of Education and Learning Design offers two doctoral programs that prepare leaders for PK-12 and higher education institutions. The school also offers ten master’s degree programs, one post-master’s certificate, one specialist, twelve graduate certificates, and five licensure programs at the graduate level. For those who are interested in the school’s scholarly work, graduating students’ theses and dissertations, along with faculty scholarship, are accessible for free in St. Cloud State University’s Repository.