CONNECTED TO
PUBLIC GOOD
Mission of Advancing Social Change
Walden University, founded in 1970, predominantly delivers education programs in an online format. The university provides a diverse community of working professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change.
Academic Excellence
Focused on Graduate Education
Walden is an online institution with more than 80% of its students enrolled at the master’s and doctoral degree levels.1 The university offers over 80 degree programs including those in education, counseling, management, psychology, public health, social work and human services, nursing, public administration and public policy, criminal justice, and information technology.
Delivering Quality Programs for Students
Walden University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Additionally, several of its programs have earned individual accreditation from national accrediting agencies.
Accreditation
Walden is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality.
Individual Accreditations
- The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, named for the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, is dedicated to enhancing educator effectiveness. Walden University is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for a period of seven years, from April 2019 through June 2026. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs. CAEP is the only recognized national accreditor for educator preparation, promoting excellence in educator preparation through quality assurance and continuous improvement. Walden University earned CAEP accreditation by meeting rigorous national standards and demonstrating excellence in the areas of content and pedagogy, clinical experiences, selectivity, program impact, and capacity for continuous improvement. Walden offers both state-approved educator licensure programs as well as programs and courses that do not lead to licensure or endorsements. Prospective students must review their state licensure requirements prior to enrolling. For more information, please refer to www.WaldenU.edu/educlicensure.
- The Master of Social Work (MSW) and Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
- The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Walden University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).
- The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and MS in School Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
- The BS in Business Administration, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and PhD in Management programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The BS and MS in Accounting programs are also accredited by the ACBSP and have earned the organization’s Specialized Accounting Accreditation.
- The MS in Project Management program is accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI)® Global Accreditation Center (GAC) for Project Management Education Programs.
- The BS in Information Technology program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org. ABET is the internationally recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
- The Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Walden University received Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation in September 2019. CEPH is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and programs of public health. CEPH accreditation provides assurance that the program has been evaluated and met accepted public health profession standards in practice, research, and service. For a copy of the final self-study document and/or final accreditation report, please contact the School of Health Sciences Dean (adchshealth@mail.waldenu.edu).
Other recognitions of academic excellence:
Walden University is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
Additionally, Walden’s support services for students and faculty have been recognized by the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) and have received OLC Effective Practice Awards every year from 2016 to 2019.
Our faculty includes...
MORE THAN
800
current and past advisors and board members for professional and charitable organizations
MORE THAN
300
honorees for excellence in teaching and mentorship
MORE THAN
40
Fulbright scholars and specialists
MORE THAN
200
Fellows and competitive grant winners
Contributing to the Greater Good
Walden University is a Certified B Corporation®, which signifies that a company has met standards of social and environmental impact, accountability, and transparency assessed against the proprietary criteria established by B Lab®, an independent nonprofit organization.2
High Levels of Community Engagement
More than 2,100 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and other members of the Walden community participated in Global Days of Service in October 2019, helping to make a difference through 30 service projects totaling more than 3,300 volunteer hours.³
66%
average rate of volunteerism among Walden alumni
compared with the national average among college graduates of 39%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016).4
Innovative Leaders in Distance Education
institution approved by the
U.S. Department of Education
to offer direct assessment competency-based education
In 2015, Walden University introduced a competency-based learning format for students looking for an alternative to course-based study. The initial program offered in the competency-based format was the MS in Early Childhood Studies, which was also the country’s first competency-based master’s in early childhood education program. Walden continues to expand its Tempo Competency-Based Learning™ offerings, including both degree and certificate programs.
Demonstrated Financial Aid Outcomes
According to data released by the U.S. Department of Education,
Walden’s 2016 3-year cohort default rate of 6.9%
IS SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THE 10.1% NATIONAL AVERAGE.5
Diverse and Inclusive
Our students and faculty are a diverse group coming from a variety of ethnical, educational, and financial backgrounds.
According to the 2016 Walden University Study: Career and Well-Being Outcomes, conducted by Gallup, Walden University master’s and doctoral graduates are thriving and advancing in their careers.
Gallup conducted web surveys of Walden master’s and doctoral degree holders and a nationally representative sample of graduate degree holders, including an online comparison group.
This study finds Walden alumni reflect a more diverse population than the other graduate degree holders surveyed, and the results demonstrate that Walden’s graduates fare well not only when compared with other online graduates but also with graduate programs nationally.
Most notably, among graduates who have been promoted, achieved a salary raise or changed careers since obtaining their graduate degrees, Walden graduates are more likely to cite their degree as being important to getting promoted (81% vs. 76% online comparison group or 70% nationally), achieving a salary raise (74% vs. 71% and 69% respectively), and successfully changing careers (82% vs. 76% for each of the two groups).6
WOMEN
compose more than three-quarters of our student base7
53,000+ STUDENTS8
from across the United States and more than 120 countries
#1
among 377 accredited U.S. institutions for AWARDING DOCTORATES TO AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS9
for awarding graduate degrees in multiple disciplines to AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS10
for awarding doctoral degrees in public administration and social service professions to HISPANIC STUDENTS10
Did You Know?
Minorities make up
more than half of our students.7
The average age of a
Walden student is 40.
Supporting Facts
126,000+
GRADUATES
make up the Walden alumni network.
89% of our
Graduates
89% of our graduates who responded to our survey say they are very satisfied or satisfied with Walden.5
Doctoral
Education
A focus on doctoral innovation and progress through three alternative capstone pilots
87% Of
Employers
87% of our graduates' employers who responded to our survey said that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the Walden graduate employed at their organization.5
Over 940K
Downloads
Over 940K downloads of student and faculty research from 225 different countries in 2017 through our institutional repository.
Affiliation
agreements
Affiliation agreements with over 22,000 national and international sites.
144,000+
GRADUATES ›
make up the Walden alumni network.
89% of
Graduates ›
89% of our graduates who responded to our survey say they are very satisfied or satisfied with Walden.11
189,000+
ELECTRONIC BOOKS ›
Walden’s fully digital library houses more than 189,000 electronic books, more than 91,000 full-text journals, more than 170 research databases, and more than 4.8 million dissertations.
87% Of
Employers ›
87% of our graduates’ employers who responded to our survey said that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the Walden graduate employed at their organization.11
Over 4 Million
Downloads ›
Over 4 million downloads of student and faculty research from 207 countries, as of 2019, through the ScholarWorks repository at Walden.
300+
Organizations ›
Walden partners with more than 300 health systems, schools, and professional organizations around the world.