The Master of Arts in Educational Policy, offered by the Education Policy Studies and Practice Department in the College of Education, will provide students with an understanding of education policymaking history and process, and develop their skills to analyze data and inform policies. There are numerous opportunities for students who possess the background in education policy that range from Research and Evaluation Analysts in school districts to Directors of Research for policy centers in the state, as well as K-12 and university settings. The program will provide anyone interested in education policy with the necessary background to engage in the policymaking process: classroom teachers, school leaders, university personnel, community members, and those interested in continuing their studies in a doctoral program.
The program offers courses flexibly (e.g., evenings, online, hybrid) that will include research methods, critical topics in education policy, as well as the opportunity to take various elective courses that might include a focus on language policy, privatization and education reform, law, and/or public policy, among other areas of interest.
The 30-credit hour program prepares students to critically evaluate:
- the utility and limitations of education research findings in informing policy;
- the basic legal, political, and practical linkages between federal, state, and local enactment of education policy;
- current scholarship, policy debates, and implementation efforts around market-based approaches to educational reform
In your final semester, you will carry out a research project in consultation with your advisor or engage in a legislative internship to deepen the knowledge you have accumulated during your studies.