Established in 1913, the Rhodes University Education Department, offered an initial teacher education qualification for students wishing to teach in secondary schools. One hundred and seven years later, the academic endeavour has expanded and diversified, with the Education Department now forming the core of an Education Faculty which offers a range of qualifications within and across four broad education sectors, namely higher education, formal schooling, early childhood education and education and training development. 

The Faculty of Education houses the:

• Education Department, which includes the Professional Development Centre (PDC) and the Environmental Learning and Research Centre (ELRC),  is host to three SARChi Chairs, namely the
• Mathematics Education Chair
• South African Numeracy Chair
• Global Change and Social Learning Systems Chair
• Murray and Roberts Chair of Environment and Sustainability Education
• Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning (CHERTL)
• Rhodes University Mathematics Education Project (RUMEP)
• Institute for the Study of the Englishes of Africa (ISEA)
• Centre for Social Development (CSD)