Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. The school offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in more than 30 programs. Peabody College's faculty are organized across five departments and include researchers in education, psychology, and human development. The college was ranked fifth among U.S. graduate schools of education in the 2023 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1875, Peabody had a long history as an independent institution before merging with Vanderbilt University in 1979. The school is located on the Peabody Campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The academic and administrative buildings surround the Peabody Esplanade and are southeast of Vanderbilt's main campus. History Early years Peabody College traces its history to 1785 when Davidson Academy was chartered by the state of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then a part. In 1806, the school moved to downtown Nashville and was rechartered under the name Cumberland College. The institution was renamed once again to the University of Nashville in 1827. In 1875, when the university was receiving financial assistance from the Peabody Education Fund started by George Peabody, the state legislature amended the charter to establish a State Normal School. The University of Nashville's operations were split into three separate entities. Its medical school became part of the newly established Vanderbilt University. Its preparatory school became independent as Montgomery Bell Academy, retaining the board of trustees from the University of Nashville. The literary arts collegiate program received the donation from the Peabody Education Fund and began emphasizing teacher preparation. In 1889, it was renamed Peabody Normal College. George Peabody College for Teachers In 1911, the George Peabody College for Teachers was moved from downtown Nashville to its present location directly across the street from the campus of Vanderbilt University. The location on what was then Nashville's western fringe was selected amidst high hopes for collaborations between the two institutions. The land for the new campus, which was donated to Peabody College, included the site of the campus of the former Roger Williams University, a school for African American students which was burned down in a series of arsons around 1906. Peabody was at that time a college for whites, although its "demonstration school" (now the University School of Nashville) became one