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Invested in People. Inspired by the Greater Good.

Want to make a difference?
We can help.

At Vanderbilt Peabody College, a leading college of education and human development located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, we believe that the greater good is a critical component of success. As a student in any one of our 17 top-ranked master’s programs or 2 on-campus doctor of education programs, you’ll be equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experiences to carve out more than just a successful career path. A Vanderbilt Peabody degree will give you the necessary tools to make a positive difference in the world.

As a graduate, you will join a worldwide network of 30,000+ leaders who are spearheading positive change in a variety of settings, including public and charter schools, government offices, hospitals, colleges, universities, start-ups, and tech companies. We hope you will connect with us today to learn more about the power of a Vanderbilt Peabody degree.

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Find Your Degree

Our M.Ed., M.P.P., and Ed.D. are professional or practice-oriented degrees for those who want to advance in their careers in education-related fields including teaching, special education, community development, policy, administration, and beyond.

Master’s Programs

Applied Behavior Analysis

Developed by expert faculty at Vanderbilt's Peabody College, this program is designed for licensed special education teachers who want to practice ABA in educational settings or are specifically interested in training focused on school-based applications that integrate best ABA and SPED practices.

Child Studies

This highly individualized program is designed to train students as practitioners and researchers who seek to improve outcomes for children and adolescents in a variety of settings, including schools, nonprofits, and research institutions.

Community Development and Action

The CDA program combines theory, research, and practice to prepare students for professional leadership as change agents in local communities and organizations.

Education Policy

The M.P.P. program offers a practice-focused curriculum grounded in social science research, empowering students to understand the broader social, economic, political, and historical context of contemporary education and education policy.

Elementary Education DEGREE PLUS LICENSURE

Designed to prepare you to work with and for urban schools, the master’s degree in Elementary Education is built around the core values of equity, access, and inclusion.

English Language Learners

Designed for students who already possess a state teaching license or those who wish to pursue advanced study, the ELL program prepares you for teaching linguistically diverse students in international settings.

Higher Education Administration

The HEA program is designed for students who wish to enter professional roles in colleges, universities, state education agencies, or related nonprofits.

Human Development Counseling WITH SPECIALIZATIONS IN SCHOOL OR CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING

The HDC program trains students who want to become clinical mental health or school counselors, and teaches them to translate sound theoretical knowledge and research into effective counseling programs.

Human Development Studies

The HDS program is designed to prepare you for a successful career focused on finding solutions to human problems in public, private, and non-profit organizations, agencies, and communities.

Independent School Leadership

This unique 15-month program fosters leaders who understand the complex educational, political, social, fiscal, and moral dimensions of independent schools, and who are able to propel their schools to high levels of achievement.

International Education Policy and Management

Through a multifaceted approach to education, IEPM equips students with the skills and knowledge to become change makers in the field of international education and human and economic development around the world.

Leadership and Organizational Performance

Students explore and master the organizational and social context in which human performance and organizational performance intersect, with a focused curriculum that aligns leadership theory with contemporary leadership practices.

Leading Organizations

This online, part-time program will elevate your skills and knowledge to manage, lead, and strengthen organizations of all kinds. Whether you want to implement change and effectively solve problems or cultivate a dynamic and inclusive workplace that responds to today’s needs, you can become the leader you envision and make a difference within and beyond your organization.

Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies

The LDUS non-licensure master’s degree program designed for teachers and other professionals who aspire to understand the complex ways in which diversity influences learning in settings both inside and outside of schools.

Learning and Design

This immersive 10-month program focuses on how people learn, how contexts and tools influence learning, and how to design learning environments and activities to support learning.

Quantitative Methods

The program provides students with strong quantitative methods training for applied research settings.

Reading Education

For teachers who are already licensed that focuses on literacy theory, research, and instruction for grades pre-kindergarten through twelve, this degree program will prepare you to return to the classroom a skilled literacy teacher, literacy coach, department chair, or dean of instruction.

Secondary Education

This program is for students wanting to obtain initial teacher licensure in grades six through twelve. Students choose from one of four concentrations in english, math, science, or social studies.

Special Education

This program is designed both for students who have teacher licensure and those wanting to obtain it. Students choose from 4 concentrations: early childhood, high incidence disabilities, severe disabilities, and visual disabilities.

Doctor of Education Programs (Ed.D.)

K-12 Educational Leadership and Policy

This program prepares scholar-practitioners for leadership in education and policy-related settings including elementary and secondary public, charter and independent schools, district-level offices, research organizations, government agencies, professional associations, and consulting firms.

Higher Education Leadership and Policy

This program prepares scholar-practitioners to lead and operate colleges and universities, government agencies, professional associations, and consulting companies.

93% of graduates are employed within four months of graduation
19 Master's Programs
2 Ed.D. Programs (on-campus)
Photo of Sissy Peters

Sissy Peters

High Incidence Special Education, M.Ed. Program Manager, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Reading Clinic and Learning Assessment Clinic

It is no secret that the state of education, especially the field of Special Education, is subject to increasingly more challenges. At this critical time in our nation's history, it is more important than ever before that we have educators who are not only passionate about the field but also extremely well-trained. Peabody continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in the country for Special Education (as well as high rankings in many other programs), and I know with confidence that my impact in the field reflects that ranking. I only know one type of practice: best practice.

Upon graduation, I was the only first-year teacher hired at Rawson Saunders, a highly respected private school designed solely for students with dyslexia, located in Austin, Texas. Such a hiring decision had never been made at that school. The stakes were high but, because of my training, I exceeded all expectations over my three-year career at that innovative school. I returned to Nashville to reconnect with this incredible city, Vanderbilt University and the public school system as a whole.

There is a reason that Vanderbilt, especially Peabody, is known as the "Gold Standard." Because there is truly no place else like it in the country. I feel honored to be a Commodore.