Education Programs Offered by Pennsylvania State University World Campus
Pennsylvania State University World Campus appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Online Master’s in Instructional Design.
Pennsylvania State University established the Pennsylvania State University World Campus as a way to meet the needs of online students. Though the university doesn’t offer degree programs for undergrad education majors, it does offer several graduate and certificate programs for those majors. A Master of Professional Studies is available in Art Education for those who want to teach art. It includes 30 credits of classes that count towards the professional development courses that Pennsylvania teachers need to take. Those classes include Action Research in Art and Museum Education and Curriculum Design: Theory and Practice.
Master of Education majors can choose different majors based on their career goals, including Curriculum and Instruction, Earth Sciences, Educational Leadership, Higher Education, Special Education, and Learning, Design and Theory. Each program includes 30 credits of work and gives students the option of finishing one or more related certificates at the same time. Students in the learning, design and technology program can earn certificates in educational technology integration, e-learning design or teaching and learning online in K-12 settings.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus offers post-bachelor certificate programs for teachers who want to continue their education without enrolling in a graduate degree program. The distance education program focuses on how teachers work on the web, while the adult basic education program teaches them how to work with adult learners. Post-bachelor certificates are also available in educating individuals with autism, e-learning design, educational technology integration, and teaching and learning online in K-12 settings. The university also offers graduate certificate programs in principalship, institutional research, earth science education, applied behavior analysis, and children’s literature.
About Pennsylvania State University World Campus
The Pennsylvania State University World Campus is an online university affiliated with Pennsylvania State University (PSU). Also called the Penn State World Campus and Penn State Online, it began in 1998. Penn State was the first university in the country to offer distance education programs. Those programs started in 1892 and sent workbooks to students. Students completed those books and sent them back for credit. Most of the students enrolled in those early days owned or worked on local farms. Citing the number of students with access to the internet, Penn State switched to online courses and established the Pennsylvania State University World Campus. This campus now provides opportunities to students regardless of where they live.
Both the physical and online campuses are closely connected. When students apply to the university, they actually apply to the main branch of PSU and to the department or college that is responsible for their degree programs. Once accepted by that department, they can sign up for an online program. Penn State allows online students to walk in the same graduation ceremonies that residential students do and provides them with degrees that have the university’s seal on it. U.S. News and World Report ranks Penn State Online on its lists of the best online bachelor’s programs, best online graduate education programs and best online programs for veterans.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus Accreditation Details
As the Penn State World Campus offers the same programs as the main university does, it’s not surprising that it holds the same accreditation too. It has Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation, which is a type of regional accreditation. Students can transfer credits to and from the online campus to a physical campus and get their transcripts evaluated to earn credit for the courses they took at other schools. The business programs offered by the online university have accreditation too. All online education programs also have accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation (CATP).
Pennsylvania State University World Campus Application Requirements
Those applying to one of the graduate education programs offered by the Penn State World Campus must show that they met all prerequisites and requirements. Students need either a bachelor’s degree awarded by a college or university in the United States or a degree from another country from a school with equivalent accreditation. They will also need to provide their transcripts and contact information for three references. The university will send emails to those references with instructions on how they can submit letters of recommendation on behalf of the student. Art education majors will also need to supply a short essay, statement of purpose, resume, and a teaching portfolio. The university has the same requirements for students applying to other graduate degree programs.
Students applying to a post-bachelor program must also have a bachelor’s degree. The university requires that they have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all the courses they took over their junior and senior years. They will also need to submit a statement of purpose to explain why they want to study that certificate field at the university. Students applying to a post-graduate certificate program do not need a specific GPA, but they will need to provide an application and an official transcript.
Tuition and Financial Aid
All students enrolled in one of the online graduate education programs offered by the Penn State World Campus pay a flat rate of $886 per credit hour. The full degree programs include 30 credits of classes and may require that students complete some prerequisites. Those who need to take prerequisite courses pay the same rate. Students in a certificate program also pay $886 per credit hour but usually only take between 12 and 15 credits of classes. Payment plans are available for students who need more time to pay off the balances on their accounts. They can make four payments during the fall and spring semesters and three payments during the summer semester. The university charges a $45 fee to sign up for a payment plan.
A Virtual Open House held near the end of each semester goes over financial aid options and payment plans with incoming students. It shows students how to submit the FAFSA to get financial aid and all the information they will need to apply. World Campus Scholarships are available for students too. Students will need to submit an application to apply for each one. Most awards only go to students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Education majors enrolled in the degree programs offered by the Pennsylvania State University World Campus can use student loans too.