Professional Institute for Educators
Enrich yourself. Enrich your classroom.
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We are excited to announce that our fall 2022 course registration is now open!
Please direct all questions and inquiries to pie@uarts.edu.
Classes & Registration
Non-Degree Classes & Registration
Take professional development courses for K-12 in-service teachers in the Arts, Inclusion, Literacy, Educational Technology, and Teaching with Primary Sources. These courses are for non-degree students.
Graduate Degrees & Certificates
Earn an online MEd in Educational Program Design or Educational Technology, or a 15-credit graduate certificate in the Arts or Educational Technology.
Tuition & Policies
Review tuition and fees for courses, and learn about program policies.
Course Offerings
ETEC 674 - Classroom as Makerspace
Credits: 3.0
Faculty: Scott Duggan
Format: Online
Dates: August 26 - October 18, 2022 (Fall 1)
Weekly synchronous sessions will be held; days and times based on student + instructor consensus
Tuition: MEd $2025 | NM $1050
Fee: $50
Have you considered designing a makerspace - a creative, DIY center where students can gather to create, invent, and learn- in your classroom, but you’re unsure how to get started? Would you like to know how best to structure learning within this makerspace for a particular grade level or subject area? Have you tried to integrate a makerspace and would like to learn more about best practices? Educators will leave this course with the ability to plan and develop a low-cost makerspace to use with students for the design of creative projects to deepen understanding of content though hands-on, self-directed learning.
INCL 600 - Foundations of Inclusionary Practices in the Classroom
Credits: 3.0
Faculty: Elana Betts
Format: Online
Dates: August 26 - October 18, 2022 (Fall 1)
Weekly synchronous sessions will be held; days and times based on student + instructor consensus
Tuition: MEd $2025 | NM $1050
Fee: $50
Student diversity is one of the main characteristics that defines today’s classroom. This course helps educators build the capacity to understand, honor and support the ever-increasing diversity of educational needs within classrooms. Recommendations are provided to enable teachers to augment their existing practices by infusing inclusive practices into existing content and curricula. Roles and responsibilities of general and special educators are explored to help facilitate collaboration in serving the needs of students and to make meaningful contributions to the identification, evaluation, re-evaluation, teaching and monitoring of progress of all students. Participants identify potential barriers to learning across curriculum areas in the general education classroom and identify strategies and services to eliminate those barriers.
ETEC 661 - Game-Based Learning in the Classroom (Introductory)
Credits: 3.0
Faculty: Matthew Duvall
Format: Online
Dates: October 20 - December 17, 2022 (Fall 2)
Weekly synchronous sessions will be held; days and times based on student + instructor consensus
Tuition: MEd $2025 | NM $1050
Fee: $50
This course will provide educators an opportunity to explore the principles, processes and theories of game-based learning in the classroom. Educators will critically analyze the characteristics and applications of digital games for various learning needs. The course is designed to explore the symbiotic classroom relationship between games, play and learning. We will identify and analyze current trends such as integration of games, data analytics, and badges for learning. We will explore the fundamental elements of game-based learning and we will write a game design document (GDD), including the story, learning theories, mechanics, technology and aesthetics.
ETEC 670 - Digital Badges: Getting Started with Micro-Credentialing
Credits: 3.0
Faculty: George Pecchio
Format: Online
Dates: October 20 - December 17, 2022 (Fall 2)
Weekly synchronous sessions will be held; days and times based on student + instructor consensus
Tuition: MEd $2025 | NM $1050
Fee: $50
Badges make your classroom goals visible to students. Badges, or ‘micro-credentials,’ help motivate students, as students are able to see what they need to do to reach a goal or master a skill. Students want to do well, and they want to be recognized for their accomplishments. Leave this course with a foundational understanding of digital badges- online representations of skills earned- and open badges- verification of student skills, interests and achievements- and how to implement a badge system within your school or classroom. Take your current curriculum, lift up those objectives, skills, understandings and concepts, to represent as badges that show criteria students must meet to earn them. The case study method will be used to illustrate the successful design and implementation of digital badge systems by schools and educators.
ETEC 669 - STEAM for Integrated Learning
Credits: 3.0
Faculty: Cynthia Willits
Format: Online
Dates: October 20 - December 17, 2022 (Fall 2)
Weekly synchronous sessions will be held; days and times based on student + instructor consensus
Tuition: MEd $2025 | NM $1050
Fee: $50
Creativity saturates science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM). Integrated learning is a powerful means of facilitating meaningful learning. The artistic process and the scientific method are more complementary than one might imagine - both facilitate the exploration of ideas and possibilities. Both involve “process” and “product.” Both require students to engage in creative and critical thinking that supports collaborative learning. This course will explore STEAM integration models, in which you will test lessons and tools to facilitate a STEAM-inspired curriculum. You will have the flexibility to select specific areas of STEAM that are most relevant to your own classroom and teaching style. You will emerge with the confidence and skill to authentically integrate across STEAM content.
VPAS 674 - Visual Arts for the Classroom: Portraiture
Credits: 3.0
Faculty: Sara Hitz-Arnold
Format: Online
Dates: October 20 - December 17, 2022 (Fall 2)
Weekly synchronous sessions will be held; days and times based on student + instructor consensus
Tuition: MEd $2025 | NM $1050
Fee: $50
From Ancient Egypt to the selfie, portraits have served as a humanist expression of identity, class, and culture. This class will examine and discuss the meaning and implications of portraiture in its various forms. This course is tailored for K-12 educators to draw and paint the head using charcoal, pencil, and watercolor, and to take these techniques back to the classroom. By manipulating lighting, context, medium, and composition, K-12 educators will create meaningful portraits.
ArtsWeek & Partnership Courses
ArtsWeek
During summer ArtsWeek, teachers across all content areas work with practicing artists to explore art-specific techniques, concepts, and history that they can bring back to their classrooms.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress, the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program offers tuition-free professional development opportunities for K-12 educators in the greater-Philadelphia area.
Partnership Courses
The Professional Institute for Educators is pleased to partner with organizations to serve as a credit provider for professional development opportunities in the greater Philadelphia region.
Looking for Programs for Music Educators?
The Summer Music Studies + MM in Music Education serve the needs of music teachers, offering matriculated degrees and non-matriculated graduate-level courses for professional development that meet PA Act 48 requirements.
News & Events
The culminating experience in the PIE MEd programs is the formal capstone project. Each year, students in the Educational Program Design and Educational Technology MEd Programs complete a project that represents a unique reflection of his, her or their individual course of study. This capstone project ties together the sum of the M.Ed. coursework taken in the program, and offers educators the choice of completing one of three projects, according to educator interest and utility within the educator’s classroom, school or District. Options include: 1) curriculum project, 2) research project, or 3) action research project.
Traditionally these projects are shared and celebrated during the Capstone Gallery Walk. This event brings together the students, UArts staff, capstone committee members and guests and provides students the opportunity to share and get feedback on these culminating projects. This year, due to the need for strict social distancing, the decision was made to hold this event online via zoom. Each student utilized “Padlet” to make a poster that the community could preview before the event. During the 2-hour zoom session, each student had 10 minutes to share the highlights of their projects and committee members had the chance to ask questions. Overall the event was a huge success! The capstone course instructor, Elana Betts, provided excellent leadership in orchestrating the event and the students were able to both celebrate each other and to get the meaningful feedback that they deserved as they moved into their final revisions over the course of the next few weeks.
This year there were five curriculum projects and two action research projects (listed below). Highlights included several projects that ended up preparing students for the distance learning that many of them are engaging in (such as “Digital Feedback.” “The In-Class Flip” and “Integrating Digital Technology in the Planning of Artwork”). The key theme that ran through all of the projects this year was a strong focus on meeting the needs of K-12 students--from giving them the tools that they need to be successful, to delivering useful and meaningful feedback to focusing on the whole student through social-emotional learning. The capstone process truly allowed these MEd students to investigate a problem that they were encountering in order to devise meaningful solutions that benefit both K-12 students and teachers alike.
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Student |
Program |
Teaching Area |
Project with Links to Presentation |
Type of Project |
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Maddie Craig |
MEd in Educational Technology |
Mathematics |
The Effectiveness of Problem-Based Curricula in the Mathematics Classroom |
Curriculum |
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Damita Pridgen |
MEd in Educational Technology |
Family Consumer Science |
Digital Feedback in the Classroom: A Family and Consumer Sciences Curriculum |
Curriculum |
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Alexandra Maxwell |
MEd in Educational Technology |
Mathematics |
Incorporating Financial Literacy into High School Mathematics |
Curriculum |
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Alison Thompson |
MEd in Educational Program Design: The Arts |
Visual Arts |
Integration of Digital Technology in the Planning of Artwork |
Action Research |
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Jeanmarie Braddock |
MEd in Educational Technology |
Music |
Exploring the In-Class Flip in the Elementary Orchestra Classroom |
Action Research |
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Jason Springer |
MEd in Educational Program Design: The Arts |
Visual Arts |
Incorporating Critical Thinking Skills into the High School Art Room |
Curriculum |
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Danielle Scicluna |
MEd in Educational Program Design: The Arts |
Visual Arts |
Integration of Social and Emotional Learning Within Photography Curriculum to Improve Mental Health |
Curriculum |
Maria Geiger is an educational technology instructor specializing in blended/flipped learning, digital communication and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum. She has participated in numerous showcases and conferences in the northeast as an educational technology leader. She created a short video to share her top tips for online learning, as educators and students transition into virtual classrooms.
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Communicate Regularly
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Connect with students consistently to let them know you are there for them if they have questions, need reminders about work, or need other forms of support
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Use modules or units to organize lessons
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Using themes can make online learning more manageable for you and your students
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Hold synchronous sessions when possible
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Engaging in discussions to review the week and preview what is next will make online learning more relevant
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Know your content, but keep lectures short
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It is scientifically proven that 6 minutes is the average attention span
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Be yourself! This will make online learning seem more like the real classroom
As educators and students around the globe transition into online learning, many are looking for ways to support and enhance teaching the visual and performing arts virtually. The University of the Arts Pre-College staff has compiled a list of fine and performing arts resources and opportunities that students can take advantage of from the comfort and safety of their homes.
The range of online arts access ranges from the Social Distancing Festival—a website celebrating art from all over the world—online collections and tours of museums, as well as virtual escape rooms. Additionally, many film festivals, poetry readings and dance performances are being streamed online while curators and scholars are offering insights about artworks and exhibitions. We hope these resources provide avenues for new and robust virtual learning experiences.
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With many educators across the country rapidly shifting coursework online, the UArts Professional Institute for Educators is compiling information to help you navigate your next steps as an educator. Whether that means providing resources to keep your students actively engaged or giving you the tools to become a resource to your colleagues, we’ve asked some of our expert faculty to weigh in. Instructor Cindy Willits created a guide to humanizing your online learning, so that even online, you and your students can have a rich experience. Cindy has been teaching online for over a decade with a prominent Pennsylvania public cyber charter school. She leads professional development for her colleagues and is a resource for educational technology implementation for her peers and her students. She has presented at many educational conferences including several iNACOL conferences, Blackboard Summit and Blackboard World conferences, PETE & C and PAGE. Cindy leads many year-round Educational Technology course offerings for UArts’ Professional Institute for Educators programs. |
In the past few weeks, we have seen major changes in the world and in the classroom. Schools across the country have shut their physical doors and slowly opened the door to online learning. The Professional Institute for Educators (PIE) at UArts is here to help you navigate your next steps as an educator.
Two of our distinguished Educational Technology faculty members, Maria Geiger and Cindy Willits, have assembled resources that may benefit you as you work to keep your students actively engaged in an online learning environment. Our No. 1 priority at this time is to help you develop new skills, so you can keep your students on track and become a resource to your colleagues. You can view the resources below.
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Meet the faculty Maria Geiger is an educational technology and college writing instructor. Maria has taught blended/flipped learning, digital communication and integrating web tools into the curriculum for PIE since 2016. She has participated in the NJEDge Faculty Showcase as an Ignite presenter and has conducted Educational Technology integration workshops at the New Jersey Writing Alliance. |
Cindy Willits has been teaching online for over a decade with a prominent Pennsylvania public cyber charter school. She leads professional development for her colleagues and is a resource for educational technology implementation for her peers and her students. She has presented at many educational conferences including several iNACOL conferences, Blackboard Summit and Blackboard World conferences, PETE & C and PAGE.
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Art & Design Education
Alumni & Friends Workshop
A Visual Art & Design Educator Professional Development Day
Preparing our students for the future by strengthening 21st century skills.
Visual Art & Design Educators and Museum Educators are invited to join us for a day devoted to art and design education and professional development. Connect with your peers, learn new studio techniques and experiment with alternative classroom methods.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
8:30 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
9 a.m.–4 p.m. Keynote, Workshops & Lunch
University of the Arts
Hamilton Hall
320 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Price: $20
Register below (current UArts students and faculty attend FREE!)
- Keynote presentation from Sam Aquillano (founder and exective director of Design Museum Foundation)
- A full day of Art & Design Education Workshops and Materials
- Act 48 hours (if applicable)
- Breakfast/Lunch
PIE instructor Cindy Willits will be presenting a session at the 2019 Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools Conference in October. Cindy's presentation will focus on ways to make science hands-on in an online classroom. Explore how utilizing online tools, webcam and engaging interactions can give students a hands-on and multi-sensory science experience.
Cindy is also working with PA state senators and assemblymen in September to show them how online education is a viable, interactive, and engaging experience.
Explore Cindy Willits' fall courses:
Shannon Luciani is a 4th grade teacher in the Harrisburg School District. She serves as a member of the Leadership Team, the grade level team leader, the webmistress, technology contact, and the science coordinator for her building.
Shannon Luciani graduated with honors from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2002 with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education and a concentration in World Religions. She earned her Masters of Education in Educational Technology from the University of the Arts in 2018.
Shannon has been teaching in the Harrisburg Public Schools since 2008. She has taught kindergarten and 1st grade and is currently teaching 4th grade at Downey School. While in Harrisburg, she has served as the technology trainer for her building, creating a series of “Tech 101” classes for the staff that introduced them to technology tools for the classroom. She has been the coordinator for the building STEAM lab, incorporating lessons from outside agencies into lessons and programs within the science curriculum.
Shannon was the first student to enroll in the Educational Technology program as a distance learner. She was able to digitally attend traditional classes, using iPads and Facetime to view the lecture and interact with the class. She has used the skills learned at UArts to incorporate technology into her daily lessons in various ways including differentiation for English Learners using iPads, digital field trips, learning stations with smart technology that teaches in levels matching the student’s needs, and providing a variety of leveled enrichment opportunities.
Interested in earning your MEd?
Our MEd Program is designed for K-12 educators who have yet to earn their master’s degree and are seeking a graduate-level experience in innovative teaching methods. You can transfer up to six credits of graduate coursework from accredited institutions outside ofUArts and/or non‐matriculated graduate credit earned from UArts toward your degree.
Fall 2019 & Spring 2020 registration is now open.
Get a head start on planning your professional development for Fall 2019. Professional Institute for Educators is an accredited PA and NJ professional development provider. This Fall, we are offering courses in Visual Art, Ed Tech, Inclusion and more – all designed to provide educators with new skills and content for their classrooms. Get a preview of our upcoming courses to get early approval from your school or district.
Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress, the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at the University of the Arts creates professional development opportunities for K-12 educators in the greater-Philadelphia area that focus on teaching with primary sources in an arts context to enhance cross-curricular areas in all grade levels.
Teaching with Primary Sources courses are offered tuition free or reduced rate for-credit and are designed to teach educators how to use primary sources and the arts in K-12 classrooms.
Courses are held during ArtsWeek on UArts' campus, August 5-August 9th.
Explore our course offerings:
- A is for Everything: How Typography Shapes our Language and Culture (Non-Credit) - Register Now
- A is for Everything: How Typography Shapes our Language and Culture (3.0 Credits) - Register Now
- Comics + Graphic Novels as Primary Sources (Non-Credit) - Register Now
- Comics + Graphic Novels as Primary Sources (3.0 Credits) - Register Now
- Moving Pictures: Connecting with Documentary Film (Non-Credit) - Register Now
- Moving Pictures: Connecting with Documentary Film (3.0 Credits) - Register Now
Join us on Monday, April 29th at 5pm to celebrate the work of the MEd students as they share their capstone projects in an informal "Gallery Walk" format. Please RSVP by April 14th.
Monday, April 29th
5:00PM
University of the Arts: Terra Hall, 9th floor
211 S Broad St
Philadelphia PA 19107
Are you looking for professional development or graduate credit opportunities this Summer? Professional Institute for Educators programs provide individual attention and support that are the hallmark of every learning experience at UArts. No application is required for any of our 3-credit graduate courses in the Arts, Inclusion, Ed Tech, and Literacy.
Summer course highlights:
- Design Thinking for the Classroom
Discover how Design Thinking can be used to teach 21st century skills, creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking.
Instructor: Phil Holcombe
Hybrid | In-Person @ UArts: Monday, July 15-Friday, July 19, 9am-4pm | Online: Monday, July 15-Monday, July 29
- Graphic Design for the Classroom: Adobe Creative Cloud
Learn the basics of image resolution, scanning, import/export, and photo adjustments, and gain an understanding of how this design program can work in your classroom.
Instructor: Christine Bailey
In-Person @ UArts | Monday, August 5-Friday, August 9 | 9am-5:30pm
ArtsWeek courses are offered in two locations:
- Wayne Art Center | Monday, June 24-Friday, June 28
- University of the Arts | Monday, August 5-Friday, August 9\
ArtsWeek provides a rich studio, collaborative experience designed for teachers who are interested in innovative approaches to education.
The Teaching with Primary Sources Program at the University of the Arts
Monday August 5 - Friday, August 9, 2019
9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress, the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at the University of the Arts creates professional development opportunities for K-12 educators. TPS-UArts courses introduce educators, librarians and administrators to the digital archives and teaching resources available through the Library of Congress website, in order to identify and use primary source material in the classroom. Educators, librarians and school administrators learn inquiry-based tactics to guide students through analysis of primary sources, resulting in stronger higher-order and critical thinking skills.
Non-credit classes are TUITION FREE. Graduate credit for these courses is available at a 50% reduced tuition rate. Please note: All participants (credit and non-credit) are required to pay a non-refundable $50 materials fee at the time of registration.
2019 Course Offerings:
A is For Everything: How Typography Shapes our Language and Culture
Explore meaning and subject matter through type design. Collaborative exercises will encourage participants to think critically and openly about how type and design shape our language and visual culture. Site visits include collections in the Philadelphia region, with guest lectures and an artist studio visit.
Comics and Graphic Novels as Primary Sources
Gain general overview of the history of comics and graphic novels, particularly as social commentary in the U.S., using the resources of the Library of Congress. Projects include researching and evaluating comics, hands-on printing and design activities, lesson plan development, and more.
Moving Pictures: Connecting with Documentary Film
Explore the role of archival sources within documentary through screenings, discussions and projects using the Library of Congress collections. Teachers will produce a short film that draws upon this resource and, in the process, learn about research techniques, non-linear editing and ethics around archival usage.
STEM to STEAM: Connecting the Arts to STEM and Local Collections
Examine primary sources from direct access to local collections as well as the digital resources made available by the Library of Congress. Site visits include collections in the Philadelphia region and a studio visit with a contemporary artist.
Jill Rakowicz, a K-5 arts teacher with the Littlestown Area School District, is an alumni of the MEd in Educational Program Design program. Hear about her capstone project, which she was selected to present to at the NAEA conference in Chicago and imagine how your own classroom practice would be enhanced through one of UArts' 30-credit Master's degrees.
MEd Ed Program Design Alum - Jill Rakowicz from UArts CS on Vimeo.
Apply today and begin this Summer. The priority application deadline is March 1st, with core courses begin July 8th at Villanova University.
Blended + Flipped Learning: What is it All About?
Explore flipped classroom practices using free classroom resources and learn how to flip learning in any environment, even with limited online access and/or limited devices.
Online + 4 Synchronous Sessions | February 4-March 4
Instructor: Maria Geiger
Classroom as Makerspace
Gain the ability to plan and develop a low-cost makerspace to use with students for the design of creative projects to deepen understanding of content though hands-on, self-directed learning.
Hybrid | Online + 8 In-Person Sessions | February 9-April 20
Instructor: Noah Brock
Special Topics in Ed Tech: Integrating Technology into Content Areas
Blend technology tools into hands-on activities and lessons that engage students and enhance learning. Discover specific strategies for your individual content area(s) while engaging with teachers from other disciplines.
Online + 4 synchronous sessions | January 21-February 22
Instructor: Howard Glasser
View a full course listing here.
Fulfill Act 48 hours and earn graduate credits early in 2019 on your own schedule. Online courses allow you to advance your career without interrupting it.
Don't miss these courses starting in January:
Digital Communication in the Classroom
Explore the opportunities that digital communication such as blogs, fora, wikis, discussion boards, and others can present in the classroom setting, and how digital communication strategies can effectively support and enhance curriculum.
Online + 5 synchronous sessions | January 7-February 8
Instructor: Cynthia Willits
Special Topics in Ed Tech: Integrating Technology into Content Areas
Blend technology tools into lessons that engage students and enhance learning. Discover specific strategies for your individual content area(s) while engaging with teachers from other disciplines. Hands-on activities for classroom application include desktop publishing projects to combine text with images, web-based activities, podcasting and more.
Online + 4 synchronous sessions | January 21-February 22
Instructor: Howard Glasser
View a full course listing here.
Fulfill Act 48 hours and earn graduate credits while gaining new practices to bring to your classroom.
Courses include the Arts, Ed Tech, Inclusion, Literacy, and more. View a full course listing or view brochure.
Interested in an MEd or Graduate Certificate?
Begin earning your MEd in Educational Program Design or Educational Technology this Summer.
Our practice-centered programs provide individual attention and support at your own pace, so you can advance your professional goals without career interruption.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with priority given to those submitted by March 1st. Learn more about the application process here.
Christianna Berg, MEd in Educational Program Design, presented her MEd Capstone Project - an integrated science and social studies curriculum designed for 5th grade - at Pennsylvania's Curriculum Summit in Pittsburgh, PA. Since her presentation, Christianna has reflected on and adapted her curriculum. You can read more about Christianna's journey as an MEd graduate on her blog here.
Questions?
Request more infoContact Professional Institute for Educators & MEd Programs
pie@uarts.edu
Graduate & Professional Studies
211 S. Broad St, Terra Hall 905
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 717 - 6006