Dean's Message
Welcome to the College of Education at UMass Amherst.
We are a vibrant teaching and learning community, focusing on promoting equity and excellence in public education. Our college is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, in the beautiful Pioneer Valley region of Western Massachusetts. The college prepares undergraduate and graduate students to become leaders who will improve education through their professional practice and research both locally and globally.
Our mission is to foster “education for a socially just world.” Whether you aim to become a licensed teacher in Massachusetts, an interdisciplinary scholar doing cutting edge educational research, or a change agent in civic life, we have a number of programs that serve as touchstones for these goals.
Our faculty and staff in the college are deeply committed to student success and supporting the health and wellbeing of our students. The undergraduate Advising Center provides personalized career guidance to ensure that you meet your goals–and even surpass them. No matter your major, you will have opportunities to participate in service learning, internships, community engagement, leadership opportunities, and student governance activities.
Our faculty are world-renowned and leaders in their respective fields. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on meaningful research that seeks to improve society. Whether you’re interested in social justice education, psychometrics, or school psychology–to name just a few–you will amplify your analysis skills and become an innovative scholar and change agent in your own right.
We offer day and evening classes to meet our student schedules and preferences. Our classes are held on campus, and in online and hybrid formats. Students receive personalized advising focused on professional growth and timely degree completion. There are opportunities to participate in service learning, internships, community engagement, leadership, and student-run activities.
On-campus, online, and hybrid classes make it convenient to find a program that works with your lifestyle. As part of a land-grant university, we are also committed to making public higher education accessible and affordable, and offer a robust array of scholarships and other financial resources for students with limited resources.
Undergraduate, certificate, and graduate programs in the college work closely with local, regional, national, and international community partners. Our faculty have active, rigorous research agendas that help bridge the research to practice gap, and provide opportunities for student involvement in research projects focused on improving education. Our program graduates are leaders in their field and highly sought after by school districts, non-profits, governmental and non-governmental organizations, community colleges, early childhood centers, higher education institutions, and community-based organizations.
I encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our programs, research centers, faculty, and advisors. You can also learn more about the Dean's Office. You can always schedule a tour of our building, attend a Destination Day event or Open House to learn more, too. I look forward to greeting you as a member of our college community.
Warm regards,
Cindy
Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, PhD
Dean
