Creating Impact,
Finding Success
Join our community of changemakers and start your journey as a leader in education, behavioral health and social services.
We believe that the work of education and behavioral health professionals is essential to individual and community advancement. Careers in these sectors are more than jobs, they are driven by passion and purpose. The School of Education and Human Development challenges students to embrace the Jesuit concept of cura personalis — care for the whole person — in their professions, in the way that they serve students, patients, clients and communities.
Our School offers undergraduate majors and minors, doctoral and graduate degrees and certificate and endorsement programs that prepare you to become skilled educators and behavioral and mental health professionals who are ready to create positive change. Find the program or program combinations that match your goals below.
Through our undergraduate programs, you'll earn a solid education in the liberal arts, engage with local communities and gain the knowledge you need to earn certifications and credentials in your field. Our offerings also include adult learner programs and accelerated, 4+1 pathways to a master's degree.
Whether you're looking to make a career change or advance to a leadership position, our master's degree programs and EdD program will help you achieve your goals.
We offer professional certificates and Pennsylvania State Certifications for those who seek to become state-certified educators or practitioners. Many of our students use these programs to enter one of our degree-seeking graduate programs.
Paramount to our identity is hands-on learning. Fieldwork and clinical experiences are essential for the development of empathetic professionals in education and behavioral health.
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Joshua Power '05, '16 (EdD)
Dean, School of Education and Human Development
The School of Education and Human Development exposes students to expert faculty, critical thinking and the latest industry best practices. Our students engage in meaningful research with faculty who are scholar-practitioners and service opportunities in the community, putting their classroom knowledge into practice.
We're committed to exceeding professional standards. Our programs offer required training for students seeking state certifications and licensure in education and counseling, preparing them to become exemplary professionals and practitioners in their fields.
Through special partnerships with on-campus centers and local institutions, students can complete a Saint Joseph's education while getting a head start in careers. Find opportunities at the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support; Alliance for Catholic Education; Center for Addiction and Recovery Education; Samuel Gompers Elementary School and more.
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SJU was integral in my social, spiritual and professional formation. Through the Jesuit values and the teachings of Saint Ignatius, I realized what it truly means to be a woman with and for others while discovering my passions and navigating the path to my vocation."
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The Jesuit principles that I learned and internalized at SJU give me an outlook on the barriers faced in urban public education as opportunities for me to be transformative and make a difference."
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When I think about the qualifications I even needed to win the Outstanding Principal award, I think a lot of it stemmed from my past year in the IDEPEL program.”
Jackie Galbally, PhD, assistant professor of special education, has been working with two Philadelphia charter schools to improve literacy rates and educational outcomes among elementary school students. Her work and research involves Saint Joseph’s undergraduates who are student teaching in these classrooms.
Saint Joseph’s Center for Professional Development is helping a cohort of local school leaders obtain prominent coaching credentials.
As the first student to enroll in the managing neurodiversity in the workplace minor, Lily Bowditch ’23 is already making an industry impact through her hands-on professional experience and academic coursework.
If you have a loved one with autism on your holiday gift list this year, consider these sensory-friendly gift recommendations by Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support staff.
