Reich College of Education

Welcome to Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education!  

Appalachian provides education students with a unique perspective – the physical location and community as well as the belief that education is something to be valued and nurtured.

Preparing quality educators is a cornerstone of Appalachian’s past, present and future. When it comes to teacher education, the state and region look FIRST to Appalachian for innovative instruction, faculty excellence and student success.

From Watauga Academy, founded in 1899, to Appalachian State Teachers College, established in 1929, and to the College of Education, established in 1968, Appalachian State University has a long history of preparing quality educators. The Reich College of Education, named for benefactor Lois Reich in 1987, continues this legacy today.

The Reich College of Education is comprised of five departments as well as Appalachian's only doctoral program:

• Curriculum & Instruction
• Family & Child Studies
• Human Development & Psychological Counseling
• Reading Education & Special Education
• Leadership & Educational Studies
• Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership.

The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor's, master's, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership is Appalachian’s only doctoral program. Over the past 20 years, the program has produced more than 130 graduates who hold leadership roles in K-12 public education, community colleges, and educational agencies across North Carolina and beyond.

Appalachian offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. With so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina.