Walden University

Walden University

Seal of Walden University
Motto	A higher degree. A higher purpose.
Type	Private, Public Benefit Corporation
Established	1970
President	Jonathan A. Kaplan
Students	48,982
Location	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Campus	Online
Website	www.waldenu.edu

Walden University is a for-profit Public Benefit Corporation, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Walden University offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Health, Education Specialist, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in a number of academic fields.

Walden is a part of a global network of 80 universities across 29 countries owned or managed by Laureate Education Inc. The network includes a mix of both for-profit and public benefit universities, with most of those operations located outside of the United States. The network also includes partnerships with established institutions such as The University of Liverpool (online), University of Roehampton (online), Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (China), and Monash South Africa (South Africa). In 2015, Laureate Education converted to a public benefit corporation. In an effort to measure public benefit performance against an objective third-party standard. Laureate chose to be assessed by B Lab, an independent non-profit organization.

Walden was established in 1970 by two New York teachers, Bernie and Rita Turner, who created a program for working adults / teachers to pursue doctoral degrees. In the summer of 1971, the first classes took place in Naples, Florida, focusing primarily on school administrators. These initial classes were to allow the students to form dissertation topics with their faculty partners before returning home to work at their respective schools while also working on their dissertations. In 1972, Walden conferred its first degrees: 46 PhDs and 24 Ed.D.s at its first commencement in Naples, Florida.