Build a better future. Start at Capella University.
Capella provides education designed for working adults who want to make a difference in their lives, their careers, and their communities. Learn more about our online doctoral, master’s, MBA, undergraduate, and certificate programs.
Capella is an accredited, online university with degrees in the fields of business, health care, higher education, human resources, information technology, mental health, K-12 education, public safety, public administration, social work, and public service leadership. More than 38,000 students in all 50 states and 52 countries are enrolled in Capella’s challenging degree programs.
School Name
Capella University
City
Minneapolis
State
Minnesota
General Information
Year Founded:
1993
Accreditation:
Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org.
Study Areas
Business
Gain the expertise to manage and lead in today’s global environment. Capella University’s business and management specializations enable students to take practical solutions directly from their courses into the workplace. BS, MS, MBA, PhD and DBA degrees are offered.
Specializations include:
- Business Administration
- Entrepreneurship
- Business Intelligence
- Management and Leadership
- Leadership
- Accounting
- Finance
- Marketing
- Project Management
- Information Technology Management
- Global Operations and Supply Chain Management
- Strategy and Innovation
Criminal Justice
Capella University’s criminal justice specializations can give you the skills you need to succeed in your public safety career, whether you’re just starting out or you’re an experienced professional. Capella supports your career development, offering BS, MS, and PhD degrees in the criminal justice field.
Counseling
Further your counseling career with an advanced degree. Capella University currently offers 3 CACREP-accredited master's programs: Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, and School Counseling. CACREP accreditation is your assurance that these Capella programs have been evaluated and meet the rigorous standards set by the mental health counseling profession.
Capella also has a variety of additional counseling and behavioral sciences program offerings:
- Addiction Counseling
- Counselor Education & Supervision
- Counseling Psychology
- Career Counseling
- Studies in Human Behavior
- Social and Community Services
Education
Master’s and doctoral programs for working educators. Capella University offers a variety of specializations designed to enhance your expertise and career potential in K-12 or higher education.
Specializations for K-12 professionals include:
- Early Childhood Education
- English Language Learning and Teaching
- Leadership in Educational Administration
- Reading and Literacy
- Reading and Literacy Bridge
- School Counseling
- Special Education Leadership
- Special Education Teaching
- School Psychology
Capella’s higher education specializations include:
- Educational Psychology
- Enrollment Management
- Instructional Design for Online Learning
- IT Education, Leadership for Higher Education
- Management Education, Nursing Education
- Postsecondary and Adult Education
- Training and Performance Improvement
- EdD specialization in Educational Leadership and Management
Health Care
Get the skills to be a leader in health care. Capella University’s full portfolio of health care specializations are designed to give you the skills required to meet change head on. Your studies can help you have a greater impact in your work, applying emerging practices, trends, and knowledge in your profession. You will study with expert faculty—professionals with deep, contemporary, real-world experience as well as exceptional academic credentials.
Capella offers a broad portfolio of health care offerings, including:
- Health Administration
- Health Care Management
- Nurse Educator
- Nurse Educator Bridge
- Diabetes Nursing
- Gerontology Nursing
- Nursing Leadership and Administration
- Doctor of Nursing Practice
- Health Informatics
- Gerontology
- Health Information Management
- Nursing Education
- Public Health
Higher Education
Move into an advanced teaching or leadership role with a graduate-level degree in higher education. Capella University offers a wide range of graduate degree specializations for education professionals, including an EdD specialization in Educational Leadership & Management that aligns with the competencies for community college leaders developed by the American Association of Community Colleges.
Capella also offers the following MS and PhD specializations for the field of higher education::
- Adult Education
- Higher Education Leadership and Administration
- Instructional Design for Online Learning
- Nursing Education
- Enrollment Management
- Professional Studies in Education
- Educational Psychology
- IT Education
Human Resources
Further your career in human resources with a degree online. Capella University’s degree specialization gives students the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the complex, challenging field of human resource management, performance improvement, and training.
Specializations available include:
- General Human Resource Management
K-12 Education
Become a leader in K-12 education. Capella University offers MS, EdS, EdD, and PhD programs for K-12 professionals, along with certificate programs. Capella offers several state-approved specializations, which may increase your advancement potential—and your ability to influence student achievement. These online graduate degree programs offer relevant curricula that can immediately be applied to your classroom and school.
K-12 specializations at Capella include:
- Early Childhood Education
- English Language Learning and Teaching
- Leadership in Educational Administration
- Reading and Literacy
- Reading and Literacy Bridge
- School Counseling
- School Psychology
- Special Education Leadership
- Special Education Teaching
Nursing
Earn a degree online to take your nursing career to the next level.
Capella University’s degree programs in nursing are designed to prepare experienced nurses to meet the growing need for leadership, education, and research in the nursing profession.
Capella’s online MS in Nursing (MSN) offers five specializations:
- Nurse Educator(for RNs with a bachelor’s in Nursing)
- Nurse Educator Bridge(for RNs with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing)
- Diabetes Nursing
- Gerontology Nursing
- Nursing Leadership and Administration
These incorporate the Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing established by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, with a focus on nursing education. The bridge curriculum also incorporates the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice.
The Master of Science in Nursing at Capella University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation.
Project Management
Capella is a recognized leader in project management education. Choose a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree specialization in Project Management with either a business or an IT emphasis. The Project Management Institute (PMI®) Global Accreditation Center (GAC) has accredited Capella’s BS-IT, BS-Business, MS-IT, and MBA Project Management specializations.
Public Administration
Capella University’s School of Public Service Leadership and School of Undergraduate Studies offer degree programs that can help you begin or advance your career in public administration and serve the public effectively.
Public Safety
Strengthen your leadership skills with a specialization in Public Safety. Capella University addresses the growing need for leaders and professionals in public safety by offering BS, MS, and PhD programs. Capella is one of only a few schools to have an educational alliance with the FBI, and has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The broad portfolio of specializations includes:
- Homeland Security
- Criminal Justice
- Emergency Management
- Public Safety Leadership
Psychology
Learn from experts in the field of psychology. Capella University’s outcome-based curriculum is designed to give you the skills to meet changing needs in the field of psychology while advancing your career and personal development.
Capella offers a BS in Psychology and a broad portfolio of graduate-level psychology specializations:
- Counseling Psychology
- General Psychology
- Addiction Psychology
- Child and Adolescent Development
- Clinical Psychology
- Sport Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- School Psychology
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- Leadership Coaching Psychology
- Organizational Leader Development
- Evaluation, Research and Measurement
Technology
Advance your IT career by earning a degree online. Capella University’s Information Technology programs combine advanced IT knowledge with a strong business focus—a powerful combination for IT leaders. These programs are designed to be relevant to leading industry and government agency standards.
Capella offers BS and MS programs in Information Technology with specializations in Project Management with PMI® GAC accreditation, as well as specializations in Information Security at the BS, MS, and PhD levels. Capella is also designated a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Security by the National Security Administration (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security.
Additional specializations include:
- Software Architecture
- Network Architecture
- General Information Technology
- Health Informatics
Social Work (DSW)
Prepare yourself for leadership in the growing field of social work. Capella University now offers a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program, one of very few online DSW degree programs. This professional doctorate is designed around national social work education guidelines, and emphasizes critical thinking, action research, and the incorporation of theoretical knowledge with practical experience.
Statistics
- Type of Institution: Private, for-profit university
- Total Enrollment: 35,755 as of 12-31-10
- Average Age: 39, age range is 19 to 89
- Percent of full-time students: 6%
- Percent of part-time students: 94%
- Percent of Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity: 53% learners of color, 47% white, non-Hispanic
- 74% female, 26% male
- 84% urban, 16% rural
- 13% active, reserve, or veteran military