About Us

The College of Education and Human Development is composed of two sub-units: the Graduate School of Education (GSE) and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism (RHT). GSE’s degree, licensure, and certificate programs are focused on teacher and counselor preparation, advanced studies for teachers and school leaders, instructional technology, and research training. GSE offers many of its academic programs in an innovative cohort outreach format that takes faculty out into the school and community sites where practicing and aspiring professionals work. RHT has undergraduate and master’s programs in recreation, exercise science, health and physical education, athletic training, sport management, and tourism and events management. In total, the College of Education and Human Development has 27 academic programs with approximately 3,400 students (2,600 of whom are graduate students) and 120 full-time instructional faculty members. In addition, over 1,000 non-degree students enroll each year in continuing and professional education courses.

The School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism has experienced rapid growth during the past seven years, including a doubling of its undergraduate enrollment. RHT is now focusing on new graduate programs in sport and recreation studies and in tourism and events management. In contrast, the Graduate School of Education is focused on the construction of undergraduate pathways to its graduate teacher licensure and degree programs that will accelerate the process of professional preparation for Mason undergraduates.

CEHD houses 13 research and service centers, including the widely acclaimed Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities. The Kellar Institute employs approximately 30 research and professional faculty on funded state and federal projects focused on improving the lives and productivity of persons with disabilities. Other long-standing centers include the Center for the Advancement of Public Health, the Center for International Education, the Center for Education Policy and Evaluation, and the Center for Restructuring Education in Science and Technology. Several additional centers have been chartered in recent years, including the Mathematics Education Center, the Center for Sport Management, the Diversity Research and Action Center, the Center for Digital Media Innovation and Diversity, and the Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure in Society. CEHD also maintains a broad range of effective professional development partnerships with school systems and community agencies in the National Capital Region.

CEHD aspires to strength and balance in its teaching and research activities. In teaching, the college is committed to exemplary teaching, mentoring, and academic services, and to meeting urgent personnel preparation and professional development needs in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond. In research, CEHD is committed to advancing scientific and applied knowledge in ways that have a consequential impact on individuals, on groups and organizations focused on education and human development, and on society at large. The CEHD faculty includes many nationally prominent scholars in fields such as special education, literacy, educational psychology, sport and recreation studies, science and math education, and instructional technology. Many faculty serve as journal editors and officers of professional organizations, as well as contributing significantly to national and regional policy concerns in education and human development. External funding has averaged over $9M per year during the past two years.