Areas of Specialization

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The department offers three areas of specialization. When completing applications for admission to graduate study, you must indicate the specific program area to which you are seeking admission.

Organizational Leadership and Policy Studies

This program area seeks to develop researchers and scholar practitioners interested in policy analysis, leadership, and change in educational organizations. Key areas of inquiry within this program relate to the design and implementation of education policy, educational reform at school, district, state, and federal levels, and educational leadership in K-12 school settings and other organizations that matter to student learning. Our program stems from the premise that cross-disciplinary studies and close connections between research and practice are essential for strengthening both educational research and educational practice especially in urban school systems and communities.
Our graduates assume professional positions as principals, superintendents, central office administrators, directors of youth organizations, university professors, researchers in think tanks, policy analysts in federal and state agencies, school reform support providers, and organizational change consultants, among others. The mix of prospective researchers and practitioners in our area helps students develop professional networks that extend into research and practice communities and to move ably between research and practice.
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International Education Policy

The International Education Policy (IEP) program offers Master's and Doctoral specializations designed to provide an interdisciplinary understanding of today's educational policy and practice. The focus is on the relation of education to economic, political, and social development in both developing and developed countries at local, national, regional, and global levels. Attention is given both to formal schooling, from pre-school to higher education, as well as to non-formal, adult, and community-based education.

At the start of a new century, marked by the rapid pace of global change, comparative and international education has become of paramount importance. Needed improvements in equity, social justice, and our ability to promote sustainable development and international peace at a global level require transforming our educational and social institutions. New actors in these processes have become important, such as non-governmental organizations and coalitions of civil society. By understanding and critically reflecting on current policies, practices, and conditions the goal of the IEP program is to contribute to educational and social change.
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Higher Education

Higher Education is an area of advanced study within the Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education and International Education. This nationally recognized graduate program in Higher Education prepares students for leadership positions in higher education administration, policy analysis, and scholarship.

Students select a primary and secondary field of specialization from among the following: Governance and Leadership; Academic Management; Law, Federal and State Policy; Curriculum and Teaching. In addition, in conjunction with their faculty advisor, students can design an area of specialization to meet their individual needs.

Doctoral students with an interest in student personnel services can take courses in the College Student Personnel program in the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services. The two programs offer distinct degrees but cooperate closely on course offerings, with students frequently taking courses in both departments.

Higher education students can also take courses in areas such as business, public affairs, and the social sciences. Programs of study are individually designed by students in consultation with their faculty advisor. Department courses are usually offered in the afternoon and evening.
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