Spotlight: Walden University

Walden University is another one of our big suppliers of online job opportunities.  They post jobs in a wide variety of areas and have strong and popular online degree programs – both undergraduate and graduate.  Since it is likely that you will come across a Walden job you are interested in, particularly if you teach in the areas of Education, Psychology, Health Sciences, Business, or Technology we thought we’d shine our spotlight on them this week!

A Bit of History

In 1970, Bernie and Rita Turner endeavored to create a school explicitly for working adults who wanted to pursue doctoral degrees.  Thus Walden University was born, with its stronghold in Naples, Florida.  Their first programs catered to those pursuing their degree in school administration.  The goal was to help students choose dissertation topics, find a research mentor in that area to supervise the dissertation, and have them return home to where they lived and worked to work on those dissertations independently, with the support of their mentor.

In 1979, Walden was licensed by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board and their headquarters moved to Minneapolis.  By 1990, Walden University was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which in part allowed them to offer the country’s first fully online master’s degree program in the field of education.

In 2001, Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. purchased 41% of Walden University and gained controlling interest in 2002.  Sylvan became Laureate Education, Inc in 2004, spearheaded by former president Bill Clinton who remained Honorary Chancellor of all Laureate schools until 2015.  Clinton was succeeded by Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico.  Zedillo is also the current director of the Yale University Center for the Study of Globalization.

Walden is currently listed as a for-profit school and has weathered the controversy over for-profit institutions and their reliance on government supplied student aid quite well.  For profit adversaries have praised Walden for targeting their recruitment at students who already had significant experience in the fields in which they were seeking degrees.  Walden also has a reputation for having a very low loan default rate compared to other for-profit institutions.  It also boasts a high student satisfaction rating (88%).

Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission in addition to the North Central Association of Colleges and schools and has been since 1990.

Degree Programs Offered

Since its inception, Walden has remained committed to those seeking graduate degrees in the area of education.  They’ve expanded their degree programs as well and now offer baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a wide variety of areas in the following schools:

Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership

The College of Education offers 24 degrees, including PhD, EdD, and EdS programs, Master’s of Arts and Science programs, as well as two bachelor’s programs (BS in Child Development and BS in Instructional Design and Technology).

College of Management and Technology

This college also offers a variety of baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.  In the area of Leadership, they offer a DBA program and a PHD in Management program in addition to an MBA and several other business-related master’s programs (finance, human resources, marketing to name a few), as well as bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business administration, and communications.  They offer 11 graduate certifications as well.

In the realm of technology, this college offers a DIT program, two master’s programs (Master of Information Systems Management and Master of Information Technology),  two bachelor’s programs, and a graduate certification in information systems.

College of Health Sciences

The College of Health Sciences houses a large nursing program in addition to several doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degree programs in the areas of public health, health education and promotion, health services, and healthcare management.  They also offer graduate certifications in clinical research management and public health.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This college is comprised of the School of Counseling, the School of Psychology, the School of Public Policy and Administration, and the School of Social Work and Human Services.  Each school offers programs in a wide variety of sub-disciplines and degree levels.

College of Undergraduate Studies

The College of Undergraduate Studies offers 18 bachelor of science programs in the areas described above including a BSN degree and a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Faculty Information

As Walden University was founded as a graduate degree granting institution, and largely remains as such today, they heavily recruit doctoral degreed instructors to teach their classes.  They pride themselves not only on reviewing an applicants academic credentials, but also on their emphasis on their faculty’s scholarly contributions to their field of study and real-world practical experience.  Walden University requires a strong record of academic and scholarly contribution from its faculty candidates and explicitly lists publications, public engagements, and research in their job requirements.  Walden also hires master’s level faculty to teach in its baccalaureate and certification programs, but demands evidence of scholarly achievement and teaching experience at this level as well.

Walden University makes strong efforts to stay engaged with their faculty members despite its large, global reach and offers 5 honor awards to its faculty for excellence in teaching, mentorship, and scholarly contribution.

Walden adheres to the scholar-practitioner model of education and emphasizes student involvement and engagement in the learning process. They seek to turn out graduates that know how to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Be sure to check out our Walden University listings regularly, especially if you teach in the areas of education, leadership/business, nursing, psychology, and information technology.  If you have any questions or comments about this school, please leave them below!  And, as always, we wish you the best in your job search!

Source:  Walden University website