Prepare to meet the growing demand for educators who are trained to manage and lead adult developmental education programs.

Grounded in both adult learning and developmental education theory and best practices, Walden’s Graduate Certificate in Developmental Education prepares you to place, assess, and teach adults with special learning needs in a variety of settings and programs, including community colleges, four-year institutions, community settings, and ESOL programs. This certificate program combines theory, research, and practical approaches to empower you to help adults with special needs achieve their career and life goals.
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  • “Certificate programs from the Riley College of Education and Leadership are designed to help educators like you update your skills as you advance your career. You can participate in Walden’s collaborative online environments as you share ideas with educators across the country.”

    Dr. Kelley Costner
    Associate Dean of Master’s and Undergraduate Programs
    The Richard W. Riley
    College of Education and Leadership

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  • Tuition and Fees

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Completion Requirements

  • 12 total semester credits

You can complete the Certificate in College Teaching and Learning in as little as 8 months. Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336. Credits earned in this certificate program may be applied toward Walden’s M.S. in Adult Learning with a specialization in Developmental Education.

Courses

  • Theories and Frameworks for Adult Learning

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    To understand adult learning, one must ask and answer complex questions: Who is the adult learner? What is the social context of learning? What motivates adult learners? In this course, education professionals explore the theories and frameworks that inform the field of adult learning today. They identify, compare, and contrast foundational and emerging perspectives on adult learning with the aim of transforming theory into practice. They engage in an integrative course project through which they synthesize and apply various theories to real-world situations, including their own development; summarize how the idea of wisdom impacts their experiences as adult learners; interview an adult learner; and assess various perspectives in regard to educating diverse learners.

  • Developing a Repertoire of Effective Teaching Practices

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    A number of best practices in adult teaching and learning have been identified based on decades of research and experience. Education professionals in this course examine these evidence-based practices to build their skills and gain strategies to facilitate learning in a variety of settings. They also explore promising new ideas and emerging trends in the field of adult learning.

  • Developmental Education: Theory and Practice

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    The need for developmental education in community colleges and four-year institutions continues to grow, as does the need for developmental educators who are prepared to help this population of students achieve success. In this course, students examine developmental education from a historical perspective and will explore the theoretical frameworks, political and economic issues, and key research surrounding developmental education. Students also learn common organizational approaches to offering developmental education and the characteristics of developmental education student populations, courses, and programs.

  • Strategies for Succes in Developmental Education

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    Meeting learners’ needs for developmental education requires creativity and perseverance as well as a willingness to learn from the experiences of other institutions. This course will examine approaches to developmental education that have proven successful in a variety of contexts, including strategies for intake and placement, advising, teaching, and assessment. Students will also investigate best practices in curriculum design and the use of technology in developmental education, programs to support student retention and persistence, and ways of facilitating collaboration between academic and student affairs in support of developmental education.

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Next State Date is July 1. Apply Now

2013-2014

Curriculum Component Requirements Cost
Courses 12 total semester credit hours $640 per semester credit hour
Technology Fee per semester $150

Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Call 1-866-492-5336 for information about a full range of options for:

Walden is committed to providing the information you need to make an informed decision about where you pursue your education. Please find below detailed information for the Graduate Certificate in Developmental Education relating to the types of occupations this program may lead to, completion rate, program costs, and median loan debt of students who have graduated from this program.

Occupations
Program Completion Rate
Program Costs
Median Loan Debt

Occupations—This program generally prepares students to enter the types of occupations listed below. For more information on these specific occupations, visit www.onetonline.org.

In addition to this list, there are other career options that graduates of this program may choose to pursue. To enter certain professions, students may need to satisfy specific additional requirements established by state and/or professional organizations in addition to completing their program.

View examples of our student and alumni accomplishments in their chosen fields.

Occupation Name* Occupation Code*
Education Administrators, Postsecondary 25-9033
Postsecondary Teachers 25-1000
Instructional Coordinators 25-9031
Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1194
Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors 25-3011

*The “occupation name” is a general job title. “Occupation code” refers to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Standard Occupation Classification.

Program Completion—The program completion rate for July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012, is not available because this program did not yet have any graduates.

Program Costs—The total program costs are the estimated average costs over the duration of the program, excluding any scholarship or tuition reductions, for students completing the program on time. These costs can vary based on the number of credits. Typically, tuition and fees are subject to change annually.

Expense Cost
Tuition and Fees $7,740
Books and Supplies $0
Room and Board Not applicable

View cost per credit in the Tuition and Fees section.

Median Loan Debt—The Median Loan Debt for July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012, is not available because this program did not yet have any graduates.

For assistance in deciding which certificate program fits your goals, request information or speak with an enrollment advisor by calling 1-866-492-5336. A list of international toll-free phone numbers is available for students outside the United States.