Welcome to Workforce Education and Development at Penn State University. We appreciate your interest in our program, one of the oldest academic programs offered by Penn State.

Program Mission

The mission of Penn State’s Workforce Education and Development Program is to promote excellence, opportunity, and leadership among professionals in the field of workforce education and development, including professionals employed in secondary and postsecondary education institutions, social services, employee organizations, and private sector businesses.

Faculty in Workforce Education and Development strive to attain a cost-effective academic program that is recognized nationally as among the best of its type in scholarship, leadership, and professional preparation.

Faculty, students, and alumni are proud of the Workforce Education and Development program, which consistently ranks in the top three of its type in national assessments of program quality.

Undergraduate Programs and Certification

Workforce Education and Development offers a variety of pathways to earn an undergraduate degree with an emphasis in Career and Technical Education (CTE) or Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP). 

The CTE emphasis offers an undergraduate degree through a large off-campus degree and non-degree program leading to two types of certifications: Pennsylvania CTE Teacher Certification and Co-Op Certification.

The WLP emphasis offers flexible programs enabling working professionals to take courses and earn credits in a variety of ways including earning professional certificates, an associate degree, and a baccalaureate degree.

Any questions about Career and Technical Certification, Cooperative Education Certification and undergraduate WFED studies should be directed to Mark Threeton (814-863-5361).

Graduate Degree Programs

We offer four graduate degrees:

• M.Ed. requirements

Admission Deadline

• M.S requirements

Admission Deadline

• M.P.S requirements

Admission Deadline

• Ph.D.requirements

Admission Deadline

Doctoral students may choose from three different emphases: human resource development/organization development;, school-to-work; and secondary career and technical education leadership. Master's degree students have these three choices, plus an additional emphasis in teacher certification.

General information about scholarships and financial aid is available at http://www.ed.psu.edu/current-students/financial-aid. Information about graduate assistantships for PhD students in the Workforce Education and Development program is available at http://www.ed.psu.edu/lps/workforce-ed/grad-program-folder.