DePaul University-College of Education

What DePaul University-College of Education does

DePaul University's College of Education is a constituent college of a private Catholic (Vincentian) university, established in 1962 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The College delivers undergraduate majors (Early Childhood, Elementary, Exercise Science, Special Education, Physical Education, Visual Art Education, World Language Education), more than 20 graduate master's and doctoral programs, combined BA+MA pathways, and certificate and endorsement credentials including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Educator Certificate — a program offered only by DePaul worldwide. Its pedagogical core is the trademarked Layered-Learning™ model, which integrates classroom theory with field experience and student teaching in a network of approximately 100 Chicago-area public, charter, and Catholic schools. Programs are delivered in evening, online, and hybrid formats to serve both traditional undergraduates and working professionals, with student support centralized through the OASIS office.

The College's revenue model is primarily tuition-driven (subscription/recurring), supplemented by grants (e.g., $345,000 from Searle Funds at Chicago Community Trust), donations (e.g., a $2.3 million scholarship gift from alumna Emily Zeman), and professional development revenue through the Office of Innovative Professional Learning (OIPL), which offers training, coaching, mentoring, and micro-credentialing to executives and organizations across industries. Customer segments include prospective undergraduate students, graduate and professional students (current educators, counselors, and career changers), and professional development clients. Distribution is primarily direct enrollment via DePaul's centralized admissions process, with the IB Educator Certificate extending reach globally through 100% online asynchronous delivery. The College operates under ISBE and CACREP accreditations, is governed by Dean Jennifer Mueller (since August 2023), and benefits from a 16,500+ alumni network with roughly 12,500 based in the Chicagoland region.

Name

DePaul University-College of Education

Legal name

DePaul University

Website

https://education.depaul.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DePaul University's College of Education is a Chicago-based academic college offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and certificate programs in education and counseling, serving traditional students and working professionals through evening, online, and hybrid formats anchored by its trademarked Layered-Learning™ model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Undergraduate Teacher Education Colleges (EDAHAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Teacher Education Universities (Licensure & M.Ed.) (EDAHALAG)

Keywords

• Teacher education programs
• Graduate education degrees
• Counselor training programs
• Educator certification courses
• Higher education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and graduate tuition for education and counseling degree programs. Programs offered in various formats including evening, online, and hybrid to serve working professionals.
2. Professional Development Training: Purpose-driven professional development training for executives in multiple industries. OIPL offers training, coaching, mentoring, and micro-credentialing programs.
3. Grants and Donations: Funded through grants such as $345,000 from Searle Funds at Chicago Community Trust and donations including $2.3 million from alumna Emily Zeman for scholarships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DePaul's College of Education is a private, Vincentian college offering undergraduate majors (Early Childhood, Elementary, Special Education, Physical Education, World Language Education, etc.), more than 20 graduate programs, doctoral degrees, combined BA+MA pathways, and certificates/endorsements including the only International Baccalaureate (IB) Educator Certificate in the world. Programs are delivered in evening, online and hybrid formats, anchored by the Layered-Learning™ experiential model with field placements across approximately 100 Chicago-area public, charter, and Catholic schools.

Product overview

DePaul University-College of Education is an academic institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of education and counseling programs. The core offerings include undergraduate majors (Early Childhood, Elementary, Exercise Science, Special Education, Physical Education, Visual Art Education, World Language Education), graduate programs (more than 20 master's and doctoral degrees), combined BA+MA pathways, and doctoral programs. The college provides certificate and endorsement programs including International Baccalaureate (IB) Educator Certificates and various teaching licensures (Initial PEL with multiple endorsements). Programs are supported by the Layered-Learning™ experiential model, field experience placements, and the OASIS office for student support. Specialized centers and initiatives (Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies, Stockyard Institute, OIPL) enhance professional development opportunities. The institution operates three departments overseeing distinct program areas, with accreditation from ISBE and CACREP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Majors

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ of graduates begin careers in their field of study within six months of graduating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chicago Public Schools (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField experience and student teaching placements for undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate programs require clinical internships, practicums and student teaching. Approximately 100 CPS, charter and Catholic schools participate in the network.
• Catholic School CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in fall 2009 from partnerships with principals and presidents of four Catholic high schools. Goal is to find mechanisms to collaborate more effectively with other university units.
• Facing History and OurselvesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration established in 2012 with social justice institution for educational programming and curriculum development.
• Chicagoland Area SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of approximately 100 CPS, charter and Catholic schools for field experiences, student teaching, clinical internships and practicums for all College of Education programs.
• Soka University of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration including visits to Soka University and Soka High School in Tokyo, Japan. Dean Zionts gave keynote at Soka Youth Peace Forum.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Louis University: Chicago-based private nonprofit with a major College of Education offering undergraduate and graduate teacher preparation, including endorsements and urban education focus. Highly comparable to DePaul's College of Education in mission, location, and target student segments.
• Illinois State University - College of Education: One of Illinois' largest teacher-preparation institutions with extensive initial licensure and graduate programs, including online offerings. Comparable in product breadth and target market for in-state teacher candidates.
• Bank Street College of Education: Independent graduate school of education in New York City with a long-standing reputation in early childhood, elementary, and educational leadership preparation. Comparable in mission and pedagogy, though it operates primarily in a different regional market.
• Chicago State University - College of Education: Chicago-based public university focused on urban teacher preparation and counseling degrees. Directly comparable in mission and CPS partnership footprint.
• University of Illinois Chicago - College of Education: Public Chicago university with a College of Education offering initial licensure, graduate, and doctoral programs focused on urban and multicultural education. Closest public-sector peer competing for the same CPS-adjacent teacher pipeline.
• Northern Illinois University - College of Education: Public Illinois university with a sizable College of Education offering initial licensure, graduate, and doctoral programs, including hybrid/online formats for working professionals. Comparable in regional reach and licensure stack.
• Loyola University Chicago - School of Education: Private, Catholic, Chicago-based school of education offering initial licensure, graduate, and doctoral programs with an urban and social-justice emphasis. Directly comparable to DePaul on religious mission, geography, and educator-prep portfolio.

Emerging players

• Relay Graduate School of Education: National nonprofit graduate school focused exclusively on teacher and leader preparation, with a strong online and hybrid delivery model. Emerging direct competitor in the working-professional teacher-prep segment DePaul also targets.
• Teach For America: Nonprofit alternative teacher-preparation and placement organization that competes for the same pool of mission-driven prospective teachers entering urban classrooms. Adjacent but not a degree-granting peer.

Regional players

• Hunter College - School of Education: Public urban college of education in New York City offering initial licensure and graduate programs with a focus on equity and urban teaching. Comparable in mission and product mix but not directly competitive due to geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/depaul-university-college-of-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DePaul University-College of Education