The School of Education, organized officially as a separate academic division in 1954, was the result of the University of Kansas City's involvement in professional education since 1940. At that early date the University was offering an M.A. in education, heavily liberal-arts laden, with most classes conducted in the summer and evenings. An undergraduate major in elementary education was established in 1952, and the first University of Kansas City doctoral program, the Ph.D. in education, was inaugurated with the organizing of the school in 1954. Since 1954, the school has grown to include three disciplinary divisions with moe than 20 programs, offering bachelor of arts, master of arts, graduate certificates, educational specialist, doctor of philosophy, doctor of education and interdisciplinary degree programs. Several degree and certification programs are offered in cooperation with the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, the Conservatory, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Mission & Values

The mission of the School of Education is to recruit, prepare, and support outstanding teachers, mental health professionals, and administrators who will create lifelong opportunities through education for America's diverse urban communities. This mission is centered on six key values which embody the knowledge, skills and dispositions expected of our candidates across the School of Education. The goals defined by individual programs are more specific subsets of these broader values:

  1. Academic excellence
  2. Strategic innovation
  3. Inquiry leading to reflective decision-making and problem-solving
  4. Skilled and knowledgeable professionals working collaboratively
  5. Democracy, diversity, and social justice
  6. Creating caring and safe environments


To be a leading urban-serving school of education in the nation.

Priority Goals

  1. Foster and model a collaborative environment
  2. Ensure academic excellence
  3. Increase research focused on urban education
  4. Provide leadership for urban schools and healthy communities
  5. Ensure infrastructure for achieving strategic plan
  6. Optimize and increase resources