Help shape the future of education. What policies support educational access and attainment among underserved students? How can we increase secondary school attendance and completion? How do local, federal and international institutions shape policies and practices in educational systems? How do teachers take up policy changes and reforms? How do we evaluate student and teacher performance? These are just a few of the challenges that education policymakers face in the 21st century.  This 90-hour program will help you respond to these and other issues.

Creating and implementing effective education policies requires a close examination of the social and historical foundations of education in the United States and around the world. It also requires a deep understanding of sociology and economics, history and anthropology, and morality and culture.

Degree Requirements (90 cr.)

Major Requirements (36 cr.)          

Policy Core (18 cr.)

Required Courses (12 cr.):

• A631 Microeconomic Applications to Education (Note: Y502 is a prerequisite) (3 cr.)
• H605 Educational Policy and Reform (3 cr.)
• H620 Seminar in Education Policy Studies (3 cr.)
• H622 Seminar: Issues in Education Policy (3 cr.)

Select two courses from the following (6 cr.):

• A560 Political Perspectives of Education (3 cr.)
• H504 History of American Education (3 cr.)
• H510 Methodology of Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)
• H525 Anthropology of Education (3 cr.)
• H540 Sociology of Education (3 cr.)
• H560 Education and Change in Societies (3 cr.)
• H631 Social and Political Philosophy and Education (3 cr.)
• H637 Topical Seminar: Appropriate Topic (3 cr.)

Policy Context (12 cr.)

These courses provide students with an understanding of the particular contexts and institutions that make and are affected by education policy. Students can select four courses from any of the following areas (Higher Education, Educational Leadership, International and Comparative Law, or

individualized concentration). Individual concentrations must have integrity and be accompanied by a justification statement showing the approval of the advisor.

Higher Education Concentration

• C655 Higher Education and Public Policy (3 cr.)

Select three courses from the following:

• C654 Higher Education in the U.S. (3 cr.)
• C661 Foundations of Institutional Research (3 cr.)
• C664 Higher Education Organization and Administration (3 cr.)
• C680 Philanthropy and Higher Education (3 cr.)
• C695 Academic Problems in Higher Education (3 cr.)
• C750 Topical Seminar (appropriate topic) (1-6 cr.)

Educational Leadership Concentration

Select four course from the following:

• A500 Introduction to Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
• A560 Political Perspectives (3 cr.)
• A608 Legal Perspectives (3 cr.) or A615 Advanced School Law (1-3 cr.)
• A629 Data-Driven Decision Making (3 cr.)
• A653 The Organizational Context of Education (3 cr.)
• A670 Topical Seminar (with advisor approval) (1-3 cr.)
• A671 Planning and Change (3 cr.)
• A672 Moral Dimensions of Leadership (3 cr.)
• A675 Leadership in Special Education (3 cr.)
• A720 Foundations of Research (1-3 cr.)

International and Comparative Education Concentration

• H551 Comparative Education I (3 cr.)
• H552 Comparative Education II (3 cr.)
• Select two courses from the following (6 cr.):
• H637 Topical Seminar (appropriate topic) (3 cr.) May be taken more than once.

Law Concentration

Select four courses from the following:

• A600 Problems in Educational Leadership (Legal Research)
• A608 Legal Perspectives
• A615 Advanced School Law
• A675 Leadership in Special Education

As part of their policy context concentrations, students may include one of the following courses even though its originating program is different from their chosen concentration:

• A653 Organizational Context of Education (3 cr.)
• C655 Higher Education Policy (3 cr.)
• H551 Comparative Education I (3 cr.)

Inquiry in the Major (6 cr.)

Directed Research

Select one course from the following:

• A590 Independent Study in Educational Leadership (for pre-dissertation research) (3 cr.)
• H590 Independent Study or Research in History, Philosophy, and Comparative Education (3 cr.)
• A600 Problems in Educational Leadership: Legal Research Methods
• A678 Institutional Research Capstone (3 cr.)
• C690 Independent Study in Higher Education (3 cr.)
• C750 Topical Seminar (with advisor approval) (3 cr.)

Or any other course approved by your advisor that enables you to plan and execute the early inquiry project

Linkage course

The course taken to fulfill the linkage course requirement may not duplicate any course taken to fulfill other requirements of the major.

Select one course from the following:

• A608 Legal Perspectives on Education (3 cr.)
• A754 Seminar in Research (3 cr.)
• C788 Seminar in Research in Higher Education (3 cr.)
• H504 History of American Education (3 cr.)
• H525 Anthropology of Education (3 cr.)
• H530 Philosophy of Education (3 cr.)
• H540 Sociology of Education (3 cr.)
• H552 International/Comparative Education II (3 cr.)
• H601 Historical Inquiry in Education (3 cr.)

The course taken to fulfill the directed research and linkage course requirements may not duplicate any course taken to fulfill other requirements of the major.

Inquiry Requirements (12 cr.)

Select one course from the following:

• H510 Methodology of Educational Inquiry (3 cr.) or Y521 Methodological Approaches to Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)

Select one course from the following:

• Y502 Intermediate Statistics Applied to Education (3 cr.)

Other approved beginning/intermediate course in quantitative analysis (e.g., PSY P553, SPEA V507) (3 cr.)

Select one course from the following:

• Y611 Qualitative Inquiry in Education (3 cr.)
• Y612 Critical Qualitative Inquiry I (for students who plan to take Y613 as their additional inquiry course) (3 cr.)

Other approved beginning/intermediate course in qualitative analysis (e.g., SOC S659) (3 cr.)

One approved intermediate/advanced research methods course appropriate to the planned dissertation (e.g., Y604, Y613, Y635, Y750, H601, PSY P654, BUS K605), with advisor approval (3 cr.)

Minor Requirements (12 cr.)

The concepts and strategies of policy study are drawn from the full range of social sciences, humanities, and professional studies. Fields most likely to be chosen for the minor include sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, political science, business, law, history, geographic area studies, and public and environmental affairs. Students are strongly encouraged to take minors outside the School of Education, however, minors may also come from within the School of Education. All minors must have the approval of the advisor.

Elective Requirements (minimum of 6 cr.)

A minimum of 6 semester hours but normally 15 semester hours. The multidisciplinary nature of policy studies and the potentially broad range of students' research interests and career plans imply a need for flexibility in students' programs of studies. The program will, therefore, enable students to tailor their electives in consultation with their Advisory Committees.

Courses in policy-relevant fields selected in consultation with the Advisory Committee.

May be used for a second minor.

Dissertation Requirements (15 cr.)

• A/C/H795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation (3 cr.)
• A/C/H799 Doctoral Thesis in Educational Leadership (A)/Higher Education (C)/History of Philosophy of Education (H) (12 cr.)