Penn Foster Career School

About Penn Foster Career School

Penn Foster Career School offers over 80 quality distance education programs designed to give you the skills you need for a new career in today’s fastest growing fields.

You can study online, in print, or in combination. You decide which method best suits your learning style.

Their expert faculty and friendly support staff are dedicated to helping you successfully complete your program and earn your diploma!

Benefits of Penn Foster Career School

Affordable Tuition - You can train for a new career with Penn Foster at a price that won't break your budget. Your books, equipment, and learning aids are included in your affordable tuition price.

Convenience - The lessons and learning aids you need to complete your training are sent right to your home. There's no commute to classes, no need to rearrange your schedule. Study where and when you choose, and still have time for your family and social life.

Reliability - You'll benefit from training with the world's leader in at-home education. Penn Foster training methods have helped men and women to better jobs and better lives for over a century. When you enroll with Penn Foster, you can be certain of receiving high-quality education that could help you get where you want to go.

Support - Even though you learn at home, you're never alone. You can be assured of getting all the help you need from your instructors, consultants, and the rest of Penn Foster Career School’s dedicated staff when you need it. When you have a question, help is just a toll-free phone call or an email away.

Penn Foster Career School History

In 1890, a newspaperman named Thomas J. Foster was the first to recognize that working adults with ambition needed a more convenient way to learn advanced skills. He developed the distance-learning method as a way of helping anthracite coal miners become mine superintendents and foremen.

This was the solution hard-working people around the country had been searching for! Miners would work a twelve-hour shift, then return home to study by candlelight, so they could gain the engineering knowledge they needed to earn promotions.

The school became a stunning success virtually overnight, enrolling more than a quarter of a million students in its first decade. As the years rolled by, millions more would choose Penn Foster Career School. By 1945, 5,000,000 students had enrolled in Penn Foster training programs, and as of today that number has grown to more than 13,000,000.

As the world's leader in at-home education, Penn Foster Incorporated has maintained a tradition of excellence for more than 100 years. They're proud of their history and excited about their future. They look forward to helping you become a successful part of their next century of learning and accomplishment.

Penn Foster Career School Mission Statement

Penn Foster Career School is one of the oldest and largest distance learning institutions in the world. The school provides programs and services that are designed to meet the lifelong learning needs of the adult learner. Programs of study lead to career-specific diplomas.

The mission of Penn Foster is to empower adult learners to advance or change their careers, learn a new skill, or gain personal satisfaction. The school strives to fulfill this mission by providing breadth and depth of courseware, applicable technology, and a wide array of flexible services aimed at the needs of the adult learner. Programs teach current marketplace skills which prepare for a wide variety of entry-level vocational positions. The mission is supported by an admissions policy that allows students with appropriate prior education to enroll in programs without regard to race, religion, gender, age, color, national origin, or physical disability.

The school assesses fulfillment of its mission and achievement of institutional effectiveness through ongoing studies of student learning, measurement of student satisfaction, and evaluation of the career outcomes of graduates.

Accreditation

Penn Foster Career School is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools for its high school and vocational-technical programs.

Penn Foster Career School is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

The Independent Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is listed by the Department of Education as a "nationally recognized accrediting agency." The Accrediting Commission is also recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Penn Foster Career School is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

Approved for veterans education benefits Many Penn Foster programs are approved for veterans education benefits. Reservists may also qualify for veterans education benefits. If you think you may be eligible, check with your local or regional VA office. All Penn Foster programs are affiliated with DANTES, which qualifies U.S. military personnel for tuition reimbursement.

You can earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs)Penn Foster Career School has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102. In obtaining this approval, Penn Foster Career School has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/IACET Standards which are widely recognized as standards of good practice internationally. As a result of their Authorized Provider membership status, Penn Foster Career School is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standards.

Additional Penn Foster Career School institutional and faculty memberships and affiliations include:

American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
American Association of Community Colleges
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
American Association of Medical Assistants
Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
American Medical Technologists
American Society for Engineering Education
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Travel Agents
Association of Bridal Consultants
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
Association of Veterinary Technician Educators
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
Electronics Technician Association
The Humane Society of the United States
Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers
International Association of Administrative Professionals
International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians
International Society for Technology in Education
National Association of Legal Assistants
National Association of Photoshop Professionals
National Federation of Paralegal Associations
Northeast Veterinary Technician Education Association (NEVTEA)
Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA)
Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association
Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association
Professional Grounds Management Society
SAE (The Engineering Society for Advancing Mobility - Land, Sea, Air and Space)
Society of Broadcast Engineers
Veterinary Technicians & Assistants Association of Pennsylvania (VTAAP)

The Choice of Industry Professionals

Many American corporations - including business giants like General Motors, GE, Kraft Foods, Caterpillar, Phelps Dodge, and Tyco Industries - have used their training method to educate their own employees.* Many Penn Foster programs are endorsed by professional trade organizations, including the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) and the National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE). In addition, Penn Foster training can help prepare you to earn valuable accreditation in fields such as computer programming, medical billing, and many more.