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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The College of Education at the University of Florida continues to garner recognition as the top-ranking education college in the state and remains among the top-20 best public colleges of education in the nation, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report annual survey of America’s Best Graduate Education Schools, released Tuesday (March 12, 2019).

UF secured the No. 15 spot among the nation’s best public colleges of education and ranked No. 25 among all, public and private, colleges of education. These on-campus graduate rankings follow just two months after U.S. News named the college America’s Best Online Graduate Education Program, an award the college has received three of the last four years.

Two UF academic programs maintained rankings in the top-10 – Counselor Education jumped two spots to secure third* and Special Education received seventh. Elementary Education and Curriculum & Instruction each gained top-20 positions, ranking No. 16* and No. 18*, respectively.

“No matter their chosen field of study, our students can expect to leave our college prepared to tackle education’s greatest challenges and strengthen society,” said College of Education Dean Glenn Good.

U.S. News & World Report surveyed 392 schools with 258 providing the necessary data to establish the rankings. Standings for America’s Best Graduate Education Schools were determined based on 10 weighted quality measures falling under four key categories: quality assessment (40 percent), research activity (30 percent), student selectivity (18 percent) and faculty resources (12 percent).

The UF College of Education demonstrated growth in several key metrics with significant gains reported in the competitiveness of acceptance rates and two measures related to faculty research funding:

• The college’s percentage of doctoral students admitted narrowed to just 37.8 percent –an 8.5 percent shift from last year’s rates.
• Funded research expenditures for faculty spiked a record-high last year, but the college again, surpassed itself gaining $27.9 million in funded research expenditures.
• The average research expenditures per faculty also reached a historical high soaring to $489,500, a $46,300 increase from last year.

“Foundational to our college’s continued success is the expertise of our world-renowned faculty who push the boundaries of the classroom learning experience and prepare our students to become education’s next leaders and agents of change,” said Senior Associate Dean Tom Dana.

Looking to the future, the college remains steadfast in its pursuit to become one of the nation’s leading preeminent universities. In support of its endeavors, the Norman Hall rehabilitation, a $29 million project to transform the college’s home into a nexus of opportunity, has concluded its first year of construction. “As we carry on through the rehabilitation of Norman Hall, and the challenges that moving faculty and students to accommodate the construction, we look forward to a space that fully embodies the college’s mission to reimagine the future of learning equipping our faculty and students with the latest in new and emerging technologies,” said Dana.

The project’s notable features include necessary infrastructure repairs and updates as well as exciting, student-centric designs, technological expansions and enhancements, configurable classrooms and meeting spaces, increased research space, a cafe and a conference center. Construction is scheduled to be completed fall 2019.

“These are exciting times at the College of Education and while the rehabilitation brings with it new challenges, it also serves as a beacon of new opportunities,” said Dean Good. “We are pleased to be consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best graduate education colleges, and our steadfast commitment to excellence and passion for innovation will only drive us further.”

*Counselor Education had a three-way tie with the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of Missouri for the No. 3 ranking
*Elementary Education tied with the University of Maryland at College Park for the No. 16 ranking
*Curriculum & Instruction had a four-way tie with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Florida State University for the No. 18 ranking

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What our school and program directors are saying:

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Nancy Dana, professor in the School of Teaching and Learning
“Studies in curriculum and instruction at the University of Florida encompasses a broad range of specializations all with a laser-like focus on improving teaching and learning conditions for all children and the adults who teach them in today’s schools and other educational contexts. In particular, our work targets unearthing inequitable schooling practices that reproduce the educational status-quo so our graduates can take action for positive and lasting change that impact students, teachers, and schools across our nation and around the world.”
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Ester de Jong, professor in and director of the School of Teaching and Learning
“The Curriculum & Instruction program provides students with rich, robust opportunities to work alongside, be taught by and gain mentorship from our outstanding faculty whose research addresses key issues in education. Our students graduate from the program equipped to make a difference and become leaders in their area of expertise, whether as teachers, teacher leaders, researchers or in other professional roles.”
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Caitlin Gallingane, clinical assistant professor in the School of Teaching and Learning and Unified Elementary ProTeach coordinator
“The UEP program prepares professional teachers who have the knowledge, skills and dispositions essential to teaching a diverse population of students in the 21st century. Our high-quality comes from a combination of over 200 hours in professional practicum placements interwoven with rigorous coursework before our candidates enter their full-time, year-long internship. Our faculty and partners in school districts across the state prepare our candidates to be impactful by cultivating the democratic values of equity and inclusive education for all students.  We promote responsive education, an inquiry stance and a level of professionalism that prepares our candidates to enact practices and advocate for policies that enable all learners to thrive in and out of school. The actions of teachers shape the lives of children and communities and we are committed to providing the best preparation possible to accept that responsibility.”
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Holly Lane, associate professor of special education and director of School of Special Education, School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies
“We have a world-class faculty, including leaders in the areas of teacher education, early childhood studies and evidence-based practices in academic and behavioral intervention, so our graduate students receive exceptional mentoring and meaningful apprenticeship opportunities that prepare them for success in their careers.  Together, our faculty and graduate students actively engage in helping teachers, children and families by solving real-life problems in schools and communities.”
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David Miller, professor of research and evaluation methodology and director of the School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education
“Counselor Education has been a highly ranked program with and long and rich history. They have a strong record of training counselors and counselor education. Their research is broad but includes research on diverse populations, children and adolescents, substance abuse, trauma and empathy.”
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Jacqueline Swank, associate professor of Counselor Education and Counselor Education program coordinator
“We have a rich history in training high quality counselors and counselor educators who are making a difference in society. Our faculty have a strong identity as counseling professionals with visibility at the local, national, and international levels. Faculty have diverse research interests that provide a valuable contribution to the professional counseling literature. Our Counselor EduGators are nationally and internationally visible. We also have strong community partnerships that provide unique learning opportunities for our students throughout their educational experience.”
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CONTACTS
Source: Tom Dana, senior associate dean, UF College of Education, 352-273-4134
Communications: Kevin Coulson, digital communications strategist, UF College of Education, 352-273-4370
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