What is Peabody?
Peabody majors include innovative programs in education, child development, cognitive studies, child studies, and human and organizational development. These programs magnify Peabody’s focus on improving the lives of individuals and enhancing their communities and organizations.
Peabody alumni include teachers in all 50 states and many foreign countries, as well as numerous college or university presidents and many superintendents of school systems. As a Peabody graduate, you’ll become part of a continuum of successful leaders in people-oriented careers—education, administration, public policy, business, research, and government. You may work with a foundation or nonprofit, direct a social service agency, train corporate managers, head a department of human resources, or lead a business. You may advance the behavioral sciences or provide medical and health care.
Whatever your path after Peabody, you will influence the values of your community and help shape the issues we address as a society.
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Support & Resources
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Closely affiliated with Peabody College and its Department of Special Education, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development seeks to improve the quality of life of persons with disorders of thinking, learning, perception, communication, mood and emotion caused by disruption of typical development. It is one of 14 national centers on developmental disabilities supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center boasts 90 researchers drawn from Peabody, the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the College of Arts and Science. Its five research programs seek to understand human development, prevent and solve developmental problems, and enable people with disabilities to lead better lives.
Susan Gray School For Children
Peabody’s Susan Gray School for Children serves as a training site for teachers and researchers and provides early intervention for infants, toddlers and preschoolers who show developmental disabilities or delays. Susan Gray, a former Peabody faculty member, conducted groundbreaking research that influenced the founding of the national Head Start program.
Merit Scholarships
Peabody College awards Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarships to incoming first-year students. Awards are made on the basis of academic achievement, intellectual promise, and leadership and contribution outside the classroom. In addition, Vanderbilt awards scholarships through the Ingram Scholars Program and the Chancellor’s Scholarship.
Honors Programs
Beginning as first-year students and continuing through four years, recipients of Peabody College honor scholarships are eligible to participate in a college-wide honors seminar that cuts across disciplines.
Teacher Licensure
Peabody College education students may combine their majors with appropriate programs in the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science, Blair School of Music or School of Engineering to satisfy various licensure requirements for teaching. Our teacher education programs are approved by the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation. Graduates generally apply for licensure in Tennessee, which has reciprocal agreements with most states, although they must apply for licensure wherever they choose to teach. The Office of Teacher Licensure provides assistance in fulfilling licensure requirements in every state.
Early Start Master's Programs
Qualified Peabody undergraduates can complete a bachelor’s degree on an accelerated schedule and begin working toward an advanced degree in select programs.
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92%
of seniors graduating from Vanderbilt are satisfied with the quality of instruction
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$55 million+
in annual research expenditures