History

In 1942, we became the first Faculty of Education in Canada. We had only one degree program, 12 courses and three full-time professors. Today, however, we are one of the largest Faculties of Education in Canada with nine undergraduate degree programs and a wide array of graduate degrees.

Over the past 80 years, the Faculty of Education has evolved from a few discipline-oriented courses in Education offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science into one of the largest and strongest Faculties of Education in the country. The first education course, covering both the history and philosophy of education, was approved in 1911 and first offered in 1912. In 1928, the School of Education was created under the administration of the Faculty of Arts and Science. It opened the following year with an enrolment of seven students. The School later evolved into the College of Education; then, in 1942, into the Faculty of Education. In 1945, the Province of Alberta closed its Normal Schools in Calgary and Edmonton and turned control of teacher education over to the University of Alberta. Alberta was the first province in Canada to make teacher education exclusively a university responsibility. Since 1945, the Faculty of Education has awarded more than 45,000 BEd degrees, and developed strong graduate programs that have provided outstanding educational leaders for institutions and school systems across Canada and around the world. 

Highlights over the years

  • 1987 – “West and North,” the large-scale outdoor mural by artist Norman Yates, is installed on the Education Building. The mural is one of the most prominent public works of art at the U of A.
  • 1991 – The Faculty of Library and Information Studies joins the Faculty of Education and becomes the School of Library and Information Studies.
  • 2022 – In alignment with its strategic plan, Education for the Public Good, the Faculty of Education transitions to a non-departmentalized academic structure in order to break down silos and explore greater opportunities for collaboration.
  • 2022 – The Faculty of Education becomes the new home for the English Language School (ELS), formerly situated in the Faculty of Extension. ELS provides English language education and customized professional development programs to close to 2,000 students each year.