Points of Distinction

Rankings

Graduate study in the areas of both elementary and secondary education at Michigan State University have been ranked No. 1 in the nation for 25 consecutive years, according to the U.S. News & World Report ranking of education graduate programs.

The College of Education ranks 23rd overall in the magazine's 2019 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” and 13th among public universities.

A total of eight graduate study areas at MSU are in the top 10:

• Elementary education - #1
• Secondary education – #1
• Higher education administration - #3 (tied)
• Rehabilitation counseling – #1 (last ranked in 2015)
• Curriculum and instruction – #1
• Educational psychology – #7
• Administration/supervision – #5
• Education policy – #7

In addition, the special education program ranks #12.

The U.S. News & World Report ranks doctoral degree-granting graduate education schools across the nation. The rankings are based on measures such as institutional capacity, reputation and research funding.

In addition, in 2019, U.S. News & World Report recognized MSU as #5 in the nation for best online graduate programs in education.

Where We Rank (Top 10)

Educational Psychology

•  1. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
•  2. University of Wisconsin–Madison
•  3. Vanderbilt University (Peabody TN)
•  3. Stanford University (CA)
•  5. University of Texas–Austin
•  6. University of Maryland–College Park
•  7. Michigan State University
•  8. University of California–Berkeley
•  9. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
•  10. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Administration / Supervision

•  1. Vanderbilt University (Peabody TN)
•  2. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
•  2. University of Wisconsin–Madison
•  4. Harvard University (MA)
•  5. Michigan State University
•  5. University of Texas–Austin
•  7. Pennsylvania State University–University Park
•  8. University of Virginia (Curry)
•  9. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
•  10. Stanford University (CA)

Elementary Education

•  1. Michigan State University
•  2. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
•  3. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
•  4. University of Wisconsin–Madison
•  5. University of Washington
•  6. Vanderbilt University (Peabody TN)
•  7. University of Virgina (Curry)
•  8. University of Georgia
•  9. Ohio State University
•  10. Indiana University - Bloomington
•  10. Stanford University (CA)

Secondary Education

• 1. Michigan State University
• 2. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
• 3. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
• 4. University of Georgia
• 5. Stanford University (CA)
• 6. University of Wisconsin–Madison
• 7. University of Virginia (Curry)
• 8. Vanderbilt University (Peabody TN)
• 9. University of Washington
• 10. University of Texas-Austin

Rehabilitation Counseling (Last Ranked in 2015)

•  1. Michigan State University
•  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison
•  3. University of Iowa
•  4. Southern Illinois University–Carbondale
•  4. Virginia Commonwealth University
•  6. George Washington University (DC)
•  6. Pennsylvania State University–University Park
•  6. University of Arizona
•  6. University of Kentucky
• 10. San Diego State University

Curriculum and Instruction

•  1. Michigan State University
•  2. University of Wisconsin–Madison
•  3. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
•  4. Stanford University (CA)
•  5. Vanderbilt University (Peabody TN)
•  6. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
•  7. University of Texas-Austin
•  8. Ohio State University
•  9. University of Georgia
•  10. University of Washington

Higher Education Administration

•  1. University of California–Los Angeles
•  2. Pennsylvania State University–University Park
•  3. Michigan State University
•  4. Indiana University–Bloomington
•  5. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
•  6. University of Georgia
•  7. University of Pennsylvania
•  8. University of Southern California (Rossier)
•  9. Vanderbilt University (Peabody TN)
•  10. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)

Education Policy

•  1. Stanford University (CA)
•  2. Harvard University (MA)
•  3. University of Wisconsin-Madison
•  4. Vanderbilt University (Peabody) (TN)
•  5. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
•  6. University of Pennsylvania
•  7. Michigan State University
•  8. University of California-Los Angeles
•  9. University of Virgina (Curry)
•  10. University of California-Berkley

Teacher preparation and academics

• Michigan State University is the only university in Michigan and one of few across the nation to require all teacher candidates to complete a full academic-year internship in a K-12 school before receiving their teacher certification.
• MSU offers a post-baccalaureate certification program focused on preparing mathematics and science teachers for positions in high-need schools: the MSU SETS-UP Fellowship (Supporting Early Career Teachers of Science through Urban Partnerships).
  
• All doctoral students in the College of Education have the opportunity to participate in the Fellowship to Enhance Global Understanding, a faculty-led international study trip with most expenses paid by the college.
• The Urban Educators Cohort Program prepares students exclusively for teaching careers in high-need urban schools through special course sections and experiences starting their freshman year.
• The Global Educators Cohort Program, which also starts freshman year, is designed to prepare teachers committed to educating global citizens and working in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.
• The College of Education was one of the first to offer an online master's degree program in education. Six of its master's programs are now offered completely online, and the Ph.D. program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology is offered in a hybrid (online and face-to-face) format.
• The College of Education has national accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), which requires a commitment to continuously assess program effectiveness.
• MSU was one of the first pioneering universities selected to participate in the Teachers for a New Era (TNE) initiative, a landmark effort by the Carnegie Corporation to restructure teacher education and set national standards for excellence.

Research

• College of Education faculty members serve as investigators on funded research projects valued at more than $170 million.
• The CREATE for STEM Institute is a hub for innovation and collaboration among researchers committed to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education from grades K-16. CREATE for STEM is a joint endeavor of the colleges of Education and Natural Science at MSU.
• Professor of rehabilitation counseling Michael Leahy leads DOCTRID, an international consortium of universities working to create life-changing solutions for individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. In addition, several College of Education faculty members are affiliated with the university's interdisciplinary Research in Autism, Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (RAIND) initiative.
• Five current and former College of Education faculty members have been inducted into the National Academy of Education, a society honoring distinguished scholars for pioneering efforts in educational research and policy development.
• College of Education faculty members often lead major national organizations, such as the American Educational Research Association (Barbara Schneider, president 2013-14) and the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (Alan Smith, 2012-2015). They also edit major research journals, including the Journal of Teacher Education.
• The Department of Kinesiology is uniquely focused on pediatric issues of physical activity, sports and health behaviors. Major research efforts include the nationally-known Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, a $1.2 million project to help keep astronauts motivated to exercise funded by NASA, a lab examining the impact of exercise on cognitive functions, a longitudinal study on the use of accelerometers and ongoing projects exploring the benefits of exercise-based video games.
• Four current professors have been inducted into the National Academy of Kinesiology.
• Michigan State University researchers led the first-ever international study of mathematics teacher preparation, the Teacher Education Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M), which generated data from 17 countries.
• Sixty school districts and 300,000 students participated in the $35 million PROM/SE (Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education) project, which was led by faculty at MSU.

Outreach

• The College of Education's Office of K-12 Outreach provides professional development and resources for educators across Michigan in support of school improvement efforts.
• The Detroit-based Skillman Foundation partners with the College of Education, which has shared research-based best practices in support of the foundation’s efforts to improve schools across the city of Detroit.
• Michigan State University was the only American institution selected as a partner in developing Azim Premji University, India's only university focused on education.
• More than 100 teachers in Chicago and other urban areas are expected to participate in a fellowship focused on training leaders among STEM teachers. The program is funded by a $2.8 million grant from global tech company Wipro Ltd.
• Leaders in the College of Education established MSU as the first U.S. hub for iNet, the International Networking for Educational Transformation, which links more than 5,000 schools in 40 countries with online and face-to-face resources.
• The Confucius Institute at MSU (CI-MSU) has been named a Confucius Institute of the Year among peers worldwide three times by Chinese Language Council International (or Hanban) for providing exemplary opportunities to learn Chinese language and culture. CI-MSU also was the first Confucius Institute to offer online Chinese language courses.