Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis MS - Educational Policy Analysis and Evaluation

This is a named option in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis MS.

There are three departments in the University that focus on educational policy-related issues.

The master's program in Educational Policy Analysis and Evaluation has an emphasis on conducting educational policy research and analysis with a goal of advancing the achievement of all students through effective policy design, development, implementation and evaluation of educational policies and programs. Students develop a knowledge base that includes a strong foundation in research methods (both quantitative and qualitative), and an ability to conduct sophisticated educational policy research and analysis grounded in understandings of the educational policy and governance system in the US and the issues and challenges facing educational leaders embedded in school, university, community/technical college, or adult learning contexts.

The La Follette School of Public Affairs provides education in public management and policy analysis, as well as in public policy and global governance. Faculty in the School are experts in social policy, health and aging, energy and the environment, international trade and development, and public management. The education provided focuses on gaining quantitative, policy analysis, and public management skills. Students may take elective courses in specific substantive policy areas that are of interest to them. Many La Follette students have an interest in education policy and choose to take courses in ELPA.

A third department, Educational Policy Studies, takes a multi-disciplinary approach (sociology, philosophy, anthropology, history) to the study of educational policy and practice. Students may focus on US or international issues. Students often choose to focus on educational inequality.

If you are interested in policy analysis as it relates to broad social policy issues including, but not limited to education, we recommend the LaFollette MPA or MIPA programs. You would be trained in the tools necessary to analyze and design social policy, and could take courses in our department and Educational Policy Studies.

If you were interested specifically in educational leadership and policy as a focus for your study (not the broader social policy issues), and intended to work in schools or in school-related policy, particularly in the U.S., we would recommend our department. If you were interested in a more theoretical understanding of educational policy systems and wanted to take a particular disciplinary focus, and a mix of international and US contexts, we would recommend Educational Policy Studies.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: