More CSUN graduates were issued California teaching credentials during the 2000­2001 fiscal year than graduates from any other Cal State campus, and more than from all eight University of California campuses with teacher training programs combined. CSUN has now held that top public university ranking for three of the past four years.

Northridge graduates received 888 California teaching credential documents during the 2000­2001 year, or nearly 9 percent of the total 10,258 credentials issued to graduates of teacher training programs throughout the 23-campus California State University system.

"California has a tremendous need for qualified school teachers to improve the quality of education in our public schools," said Philip Rusche, dean of CSUN¹s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. "Cal State Northridge is proud to be at the forefront of not only providing more new teachers, but also new teachers who are exceptionally well-prepared."

Demand for enrollment in the college of education has been on the rise, as has been its output of teaching credential candidates. CSUN issued credentials to 858 graduates during 1999­2000 and 794 during 1998­1999, according to the state commission¹s annual reports.

Among the credentials awarded to CSUN graduates in 2000­2001, 541 were multiple subject credentials used by elementary school teachers, 191 were single subject credentials used by high school teachers and 156 were in special education. The single subject and special education numbers rose over the prior year, while the multiple subject number dropped slightly.

Among all California public universities during 2000­2001, the most recent year for statewide statistics, Northridge was followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills with 762 teaching credentials awarded, 702 at San Diego State, and 697 at Cal State Los Angeles. The combined tally for the entire UC system was 791 credentials for the year.

In California, only two private universities had larger teacher training programs than Cal State Northridge for the year. National University graduates received 2,576 credential documents for the year, while Chapman University graduates received 1,427 credentials.

Overall, the state report said California saw good news on the teacher preparation front during 2000­2001, with an 8 percent increase in newly credentialed teachers to 23,926 for the year, a 5 percent decline in those teaching on emergency permits and a 17 percent decrease in the number of credential waivers.

Of the newly credentialed, 18,397 (77 percent) came from California universities, 4,724 (20 percent) were prepared in other states and 805 (3 percent) came through school district programs. Among the California universities¹ portion, 10,258 (56 percent) came from the CSU, 7,348 (40 percent) from private universities and 791 (4 percent) came from UC campuses.

California State University, Northridge has more than 32,000 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the fourth largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."