Adult Education Program
The Adult Education Program prepares individuals with varying educational backgrounds and professional experiences for leadership roles in the education of adult learners. Graduates of this program are often employed in higher education, industry, nonprofit, and community service agencies.
Adult education is one of the most rapidly growing branches of education today. With current emphases on such concerns as literacy, adults returning to higher and post-secondary education, work-related education and training, and new educational opportunities for minorities and women, adult education plays an increasingly important role in our society. There is a need for professionals to serve this "new majority" of learners. The adult education concentration at The University of Tennessee is designed to serve the needs of individuals who work with adult learners in diverse settings. People entering the field come from a wide range of undergraduate degrees and professional experiencs. Thus, the graduate program provides a rich learning environment where students can share and learn from one another. The program works closely with the Center for Literacy Studies and regional adult/continuing education programs and services.
The program offers two degrees: Master of Science (M.S.) in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Adult Education and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education with a concentration in educational Psychology and a specialization in Adult Education. At any one time, over 3 dozen graduate students are working toward an advanced degree in the Adult Education program.
- The Master of Science degree in Educational Psychology, with a concentration in Adult Education, is designed for individuals who seek to provide professional leadership in the education of adults. The program provides opportunities for those individuals already working in the field of adult education, as well as for those seeking to enter the field. It has an interdisciplinary focus and is intended for educators of adults who work in a wide variety of settings, such as: adult literacy, continuing higher education, business and industry, gerontology, professional and staff development programs, community-based organizations, and volunteer agencies. Emphasis is on the development of a common core of knowledge and skills in adult education.
- The goal of doctoral study in Adult Education is to develop applied educational skills for individuals who will function as educators in schools, mental health centers, businesses, community agencies, and other programs devoted to personal and professional development. The focus of the Adult Education specialization is the development of leaders for both formal and non-formal educational programs, including such diverse settings as adult literacy programs, continuing higher and professional education, business and industry, community-based programs, and governmental agencies. Leadership is viewed as a partnership responsibility, shared by all, that has as much to do with how we conduct our personal and professional lives as it does with the titles we hold. Thus the program strives to promote the development of current and future leaders and researchers in the study and practice of adult education.
Updated 08/21/2007
Contact Information
Ralph G. Brockett, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator
1122 Volunteer Boulevard
520 Jane & David Bailey Education Complex
Knoxville, TN 37996-3452
Phone: 865-974-8145
Direct: 865-974-2227
Fax: 865-974-0135
E-mail: brockett@utk.edu
website: www.ralphbrockett.com
Contact EPC
525 Jane & David Bailey Education Complex
1122 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3452
Phone: 865-974-8145
Fax: 865-974-0135