Academic Programs

2025-2026

We offer an array of high-quality master’s and doctoral degree programs tailored to diverse academic interests, including teaching, educational leadership, higher education administration, school counseling, education policy, literacy, linguistics, and more. Whether you’re looking to explore human development, educational technologies, statistical analysis, or the sociopolitical foundations of education, Penn GSE has the program for you.

Provides a nuanced understanding of education as a social, cultural, and historical phenomenon in the U.S. and around the world.

Examines the social and cultural contexts of learning, both inside and outside of schools, through social theory and qualitative research methods.

Develops the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to create new schools, launch ed tech ventures, and drive innovation in educational organizations and corporations around the world.

Equips students with the knowledge and methodological tools to evaluate and implement educational programs and policies at local, national, and global levels.

Produces the next generation of education policy scholars and researchers by providing deep content knowledge, cross-disciplinary grounding, and training in the use of rigorous, cutting-edge methods.

Supports early- to mid-career world language educators in advancing their expertise and careers through a part-time doctoral program.

Explores language learning, teaching, and the role of language in education through interdisciplinary research and theory in linguistics, anthropology, psychology, sociology, history, and other fields.

Brings together senior leaders from higher education, government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to study with world-renowned faculty without career interruption.

Readies working professionals to navigate educational leadership challenges in a complex and changing world through a one-year, online program.

Designed for experienced professionals who wish to continue their careers as research-practitioners and institutional leaders in higher education.

Provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure, governance, finance, and management of higher education institutions and prepares graduates to shape universities through administration, leadership, and research.

Encourages pioneering research on the most pressing questions in higher education, including college access, affordability, equal opportunity policies on campus, university governance, and international education.

Enables aspiring and early-career teachers to receive a master’s degree in education while completing an intensive teaching fellowship at a host partner school.

Prepares graduates for careers in academic research, youth programming, research consultation, and program evaluation as well as advanced graduate study.

Investigates the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of human development within the context of culture, education, and social policy.

Combines academic coursework with a real-world international internship experience to prepare students for careers in international educational contexts and to promote global equity.

Develops the knowledge and skills to analyze and understand communication across cultures and contexts for careers in study abroad, community organizations, and global business.

Builds advanced skills in data analytics and AI to optimize teaching, learning, and assessment through measurement, analysis, and predictive modeling, while exploring cutting-edge methodologies such as machine learning and generative AI, while avoiding algorithmic bias.

Explores innovation in learning sciences, curriculum, and educational technology so that graduates can pursue careers as educators, researchers, and developers of next-generation curricula, technology-enriched learning environments, and instructional programs.

Trains researchers to analyze and build next-generation learning technologies and educational data, gain expertise in learning analytics, and develop cutting-edge curricula and learning materials.

Offers an individualized, inquiry-based doctoral experience exploring the multiple dimensions of literacy for aspiring and experienced educators committed to developing as practitioner-scholars.

Explores literacy and language from sociopolitical, cultural, psychological, historical, and linguistic perspectives with the option to achieve a Pennsylvania Reading Specialist Certification. An interdisciplinary program designed for aspiring and experienced educators.

Prepares researchers to examine the multifaceted nature of literacy, with focus areas such as teacher education, pedagogy and curriculum, policy, urban education, multicultural education, adult and community-based literacy, and literacy in international contexts.

Provides healthcare professionals who want to pursue master-level training with a comprehensive and innovative curriculum in evidence-based pedagogy.

Strengthens leadership by deepening their understanding of educational organizations, connecting research theory with real-world practice, and addressing the evolving demands of educational leadership.

Offers a multidisciplinary experience for mid- to senior-level executives and learning leaders across sectors, fostering a rigorous academic environment to advance organizational performance through evidence-based learning initiatives.

Emphasizes supervised counseling and clinical skills development to address the emotional and behavioral health challenges facing individuals and groups in an array of settings, including schools, neighborhoods, and the larger community.

Advances expertise in education research and assessment techniques for professionals with a relevant master’s degree, preparing them with tangible skills and methods needed to perform analysis and research all over the world.

Prepares researchers and scholars to develop and lead independent research projects and programs as professors at research universities or as principal investigators and leaders at other organizations that produce or fund high-quality applied research.

Empowers working professionals to advance their careers as school and mental health counselors with two tracks: Mental Health Counseling Licensure and School Counseling Certification and Mental Health Counseling Licensure.

Prepares professionals in independent, public, and charter schools to strengthen leadership identity and develop research projects that directly support students’ professional growth and impact, with the option to pursue a Principal Certification.

Places high value on quality of evidence, statistical analysis, assessment, and psychometrics, as well as the use of research technology in producing evidence to inform policy and practice.

Provides in-depth study and field-based experience for careers in English-language teaching, whether at home or abroad. Students learn to assess learner needs, design tailored language curricula, and apply evidence-based teaching and assessment practices.

Explores how learning occurs in K–12 contexts to develop educational leaders and practitioners who can shape instruction both inside and outside the classroom.

Offers research and coursework that address a range of practice-based and theoretical challenges in schools and communities from sociopolitical, cultural, philosophical, psychological, and historical perspectives.

Prepares researchers and teacher educators for roles in universities and colleges, with a focus on teaching and learning, research and practice in teacher education, mathematics education, science education, and the study of urban education and urban contexts.

Offers individuals who may already be working full-time in an educational setting a program organized around issues of equal opportunity and access and research-based frameworks of teaching and learning.

Readies new teachers to enact student-centered learning and use innovative teaching tools in urban schools. Students earn initial PreK–12 certification in 10 months while apprenticing in an experienced teacher’s classroom in a wide range of schools in Philadelphia.

Combines a master’s degree and teacher certification to promote equal access and opportunity in urban educational settings, grounded in research-based frameworks of teaching and learning. Designed for working professionals, students can earn their degree while continuing full-time employment.