Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education

MS

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.

Exit Requirements FAQ (PDF)

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

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