Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education MS
This multidisciplinary 30-credit master’s program addresses the foundations of community engagement and education.
The master’s in community engagement program is designed for busy working adults, and no GRE is required. Rolling admissions means you can join any semester.
Program Type
Program Format
Program Highlights
- Flexibility: Choose a learning method that fits your schedule and life: fully online, face-to-face or combined. Finish the program in one year (full-time) or two years (part-time).
- Location: We’re located in the state’s economic, cultural and career capital, just 10 minutes from downtown Milwaukee and 90 minutes from Chicago.
- Expert Faculty: This program has been available online for more than a decade, taught by experienced instructors.

Students in the Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education master’s program will learn how to…
- Examine the ways social forces affect urban schools and communities.
- Teach skills for working in community-based organizations and schools.
- Address challenges facing urban areas and schools.
- Help students develop creative solutions for social change.
- Draw from the fields of sociology, history, philosophy and anthropology.
Please Note
- The MS in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education program does not license teachers for public K-12 schools.
- Required classes for this master’s program are offered face-to-face/hybrid in alternate years. A course that is online this year will be face-to-face/hybrid in the next year. Students wishing to complete the program in a single format (e.g., fully online) will need to plan accordingly.
Lower Tuition Option for Online, Out of State Students
Are you an online, out of state or non-resident student? Non-resident graduate students are charged a per-credit fee in lieu of tuition that is similar to resident tuition, resulting in substantial savings. This only applies to courses within the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies. (Note that the per-credit fee remains the same regardless of how many credits are taken. Applicants and students can contact the department for the current per-credit fee for the upcoming semester.)
So, if you are not a Wisconsin resident and are interested in attending the Cultural Foundations MS program online, don’t let the out-of-state tuition cost stop you from applying.
Racial and Social Justice in Education Certificate
Interested students can complete the Graduate Certificate in Racial and Social Justice in Education concurrently with their MS in Cultural Foundations. Completing the certificate and the master’s together requires students to take only three additional credits.
Program Requirements
Core Courses
- Educational Policy 702: Cultural Foundations of Education Graduate Seminar
- Educational Policy 705: Sociology of Education and Community Engagement
- Educational Policy 710: Research Methods in Education and Community Engagement
- Educational Policy 740: Philosophy of Education and Community
- Educational Policy 750: History of Education in American Communities
Sample Electives
Optional Focus Areas
Students can choose to focus on specific topic areas within the program:
- Alternative education/Students placed at risk
- Race relations/Racial justice
- African Americans and education
- Community engagement and partnerships
- Community action and change
- Policy and leadership in community-based organizations
- Culturally relevant pedagogy
- Educational reform
- Gender and education, Latinx education, and more
Exit Requirements
After you successfully complete and orally defend a final paper, final project or master’s thesis under the direction of a faculty thesis chair and a second reader, the department graduate representative will give final approval for the inclusion of “Master of Science in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education” on your transcript.
Application Process
Admissions are handled by UWM’s Graduate School. Individual faculty advisors are assigned after you are admitted. To learn more about the application process and start your online application, go to the UWM Graduate School Panthera Online Application webpage.
The Master’s Application Checklist (PDF) is a helpful resource.
Alumni Profiles
Explore brief interviews with Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education graduates by visiting the Alumni Profiles webpage.
The examples below provide samples of positions held by alumni of the MS in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education. It gives a sense of the diversity of jobs our graduates have found with the background provided by the degree.
Nonprofit Sector, Schools and Universities
- Administrators in community-based organizations
- Teachers in public, private and alternative schools
- Supervisors of youth work programs
- Community organizers and social activists
- Program directors in higher education
- Administrators and advisors in student services
- Managers of social service programs
- Analysts in educational and social policy
- Community developers
- Police officers
- Doctoral students
Nonprofit Organizations and Government Careers
Position Title | Organization |
---|---|
Youth Programs Manager | Kellogg PEAK Initiative |
Program and Policy Analyst | Department of Children and Families |
College Access & Success Services Manager | Boys & Girls Clubs of America |
Program Coordinator | La Causa, Inc. |
Grants Manager | Howard Area Community Center |
Manager of Community Engagement | Medical College of Wisconsin |
Program Director | Holton Youth and Family Center |
Director of Program Implementation and Community Outreach, Institute for Child and Family Well-Being | Medical College of Wisconsin |
Program Coordinator | Milwaukee LGBT Community Center |
Director of Programs | Milwaukee Christian Center |
Executive Director | Walker’s Point Youth & Family Center |
Program Officer, Workforce Development | Bader Philanthropies, Inc. |
Director of Workforce Planning | Aurora Health Care |
K12-Education Career Locations
Teachers and administrators who have completed the program work in a range of locations, including:
- Milwaukee
- Kenosha
- Racine
- Wauwatosa
- Oneida Nation
- Auburn, Alabama
- Brazil
- Among many other locations
Sample of Higher Education Careers
Position Title | Organization |
---|---|
Student Advisor | UW-Milwaukee, Madison College, others |
Director, Roberto Hernandez Center | UW-Milwaukee |
Scholarship Program Director | Mount Mary University |
Director of Multicultural Affairs | Carleton College |
Assistant Director, MKE Scholars Program | UW-Milwaukee |
Interim Co-Director, 4-H | UW Extension |
Administrative Manager | Madison College |
School Intervention Program Manager | Medical College of Wisconsin |
Director of External Relations | UW-Milwaukee |
- Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- rfarhin@uwm.edu
- Enderis Hall 523
- Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- kalyanir@uwm.edu
- 414-229-2587
- Enderis Hall 519
- Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- Department Chair, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- schutz@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4150
- Enderis Hall 553
- Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- swaminar@uwm.edu
- Enderis Hall 557
- Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- jtapia@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5261
- Enderis Hall 563
- Lecturer, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- bwtrager@uwm.edu
- 414-229-3161
- Student Union WG28
- Teaching Faculty III, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- atroiano@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4724
- Enderis Hall 529
- Lecturer, Educational Policy and Community Studies
- avw@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7356
- Enderis Hall 549