About the College
Education is not a trend at App State; it is a tradition!
The Reich College of Education, established in 1968, is one of Appalachian State University's oldest colleges. It was named for benefactor Lois Reich in 1987.
App State has deeply rooted traditions in education. Our reputation for preparing quality educators as well as our commitment to student and alumni success contributes to the value of an App State education.
The college offers a broad range of comprehensive degree programs: Baccalaureate, Masters, Specialist and Doctoral levels as well as programs leading to certificates and licensure.
The college seeks to provide a well-balanced program of classroom and clinical experiences while maintaining a cooperative, forward-thinking posture, with emphasis on:
- Providing programs of rigor and excellence that challenge its faculty and students to do their best;
- Creating bold initiatives that recognize emerging societal needs with new programs, teaching strategies, and technologies that will keep it on the frontiers of knowledge;
- Supporting the integration of multicultural and global orientations in all program areas;
- Seeking to further define and deliver a comprehensive body of knowledge suitable for each of its majors;
- Engaging in an active program of exchange and interchange with its varied publics.
Points of Pride
Preparing Quality Educators - Past, Present and Future
- Appalachian was first founded as a teaching college in 1899
- 5 undergraduate majors, 13 graduate majors, 1 doctoral program
- Elementary Education is one of Appalachian's top 10 majors
- One of the largest teacher preparation programs in the state with over 2,000 students
- One of five UNC System Literacy Innovation Leaders, collaborating with K-12 schools to improve students’ reading achievement
- One of six institutions selected by the Principal Fellows Commission through a competitive grant process to be the recipient of recurring grants from the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program
Focus on Student Success
- Over 270 students were awarded over $800,000 in scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year.
- 100 full-time faculty members
- Average class size:
- Undergraduate: 27 students
- Graduate: 15 students
- Doctoral: 10 students
- International opportunities
- Graduates approximately 400 teachers per year
- Ranked 1st of Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of National Board Certified Teachers for 2023 - eighth consecutive year
- Almost all 100 counties in North Carolina employ an RCOE teacher or administrator
- The Mathematics and Science Education Center offers thousands of materials for pre-service and in-service teachers to use in their classrooms, increasing the engagement and interactivity of STEM lessons across the region
Award-winning Faculty and Alumni
- Dr. Kindel Nash, Spangler Distinguished Professor of Early Childhood Literacy, was named the 2022 Early Literacy Teacher Educator of the Year by the National Council of Teachers of English Early Childhood Education Assembly.
- Dr. David Koppenhaver was named the 2022 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity; and Dr. Alecia Jackson was named the 2020 Provost's Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity.
- Dr. Theresa Redmond (2022) and Dr. Patrick O'Shea (2021) were recipients of the Board of Governors Appalachian State University College Award.
- Dr. Stacey Garrett was awarded the Emerging Scholar Award by the ACPA-College Student Educators International in 2022.
- Two alumnae from the marriage and family therapy graduate program were named recipients of the prestigious American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Graduate Research Award.
- Two alumni were finalists for the 2023 NCCAT Prudential North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year.
- Tonya Williams '93 was named the 2023 Wells Fargo Regional Principals of the Year.
- Dr. Don Phipps '92 '97 was named the 2023 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year, and two other alums were finalists.
- Meredith Draughn '15 is the American School Counselors Association 2023 National Counselor of the Year.