Diverse students brainstorming with sticky notes.

A multidisciplinary master’s program focusing on social justice and change in schools and communities. The master’s in community engagement program offers online and hybrid courses for busy working adults. Graduates work in schools, community-based organizations, universities, and more.

Program Type

Master’s

Program Format

On Campus, Online

Request Information
Loading…

Program Highlights

  • Flexibility: Program is offered fully online or hybrid.
  • Diversity: Thrive with students from diverse groups and backgrounds.
  • Expert Faculty: Online for more than a decade, taught by experienced instructors.
Toshiba Adams (african american woman) is an instructor in the early childhood education program at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Adams received both her master’s and doctoral degrees from UW-Milwaukee. Her master's degree is in Cultural Foundations of Education, and her PhD is in Urban Education
Toshiba Adams is an instructor in the early childhood education program at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Adams received both her master’s and doctoral degrees from UW-Milwaukee. Her master’s degree is in Cultural Foundations of Education, and her PhD is in Urban Education.

Students in the Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education master’s program will:

  • Expand their understanding of social justice.
  • Gain skills to lead in community-based organizations and schools.
  • Learn strategies for collaborating in schools and communities.
  • Explore school and community policy.
  • 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.

Lower Tuition Option for Online, Out of State Students

Are you an online, out of state or non-resident student? Non-resident, online graduate students are charged a per-credit fee in lieu of tuition that is similar to resident tuition, resulting in substantial savings. Don’t let the out-of-state tuition cost stop you from applying.

Racial and Social Justice in Education Certificate

Complete the Graduate Certificate in Racial and Social Justice in Education concurrently with your MS in Cultural Foundations, taking no 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

Community Focused Departmental Electives
  • Educational Policy 501: Collective Action for Social Change
  • Educational Policy 601: Foundations of Community-Based Organizations
  • Educational Policy 608: Social Media and Technology for Community Engagement
  • Educational Policy 609: Community Partnerships
  • Educational Policy 633: Community Development
K-12 Education Focused Departmental Electives
  • Educational Policy 531: Alternative Schools
  • Educational Policy 533: Educating Black Males
  • Educational Policy 534: Students Placed At Risk (causes)
  • Educational Policy 560: Education and Hispanics
  • Educational Policy 579: Critical Race Theory and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
  • Educational Policy 621: History of Native Education and Policy Development
  • Educational Policy 624: Gender and Education
  • Educational Policy 625: Race Relations in Education
  • Educational Policy 626: Antiracist Education
General Policy and Sociology Departmental Electives
  • Educational Policy 610: Reproduction of Minority Communities
  • Educational Policy 630: Race, Ethnicity, and Public Policy in Urban America

Optional Focus Areas

Some students choose a focus area for their program, which can include:

  • 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

Students in the master’s in community engagement program must complete a capstone final paper, project, or thesis.

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 video interviews with Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education MS graduates. Learn how the degree supported their careers and about the jobs they are doing now.

Graduates Hold Jobs In

  • Nonprofit, Community-Based Organizations and Government
  • Public, Private and Charter Schools
  • Higher Education Institutions
  • Many other related settings

Alumni Jobs in Nonprofit Organizations and Government

Position TitleOrganization
Youth Programs ManagerKellogg PEAK Initiative
Program and Policy AnalystDepartment of Children and Families
College Access & Success Services ManagerBoys & Girls Clubs of America
Program CoordinatorLa Causa, Inc.
Grants ManagerHoward Area Community Center
Manager of Community EngagementMedical College of Wisconsin
Program DirectorHolton Youth and Family Center
Director of Program Implementation and Community Outreach, Institute for Child and Family Well-BeingMedical College of Wisconsin
Program CoordinatorMilwaukee LGBT Community Center
Director of ProgramsMilwaukee Christian Center
Executive DirectorWalker’s Point Youth & Family Center
Program Officer, Workforce DevelopmentBader Philanthropies, Inc.
Director of Workforce PlanningAurora Health Care

Alumni Jobs in Education

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
Position TitleOrganization
Student AdvisorUW-Milwaukee, Madison College, others
Director, Roberto Hernandez CenterUW-Milwaukee
Scholarship Program DirectorMount Mary University
Director of Multicultural AffairsCarleton College
Assistant Director, MKE Scholars ProgramUW-Milwaukee
Interim Co-Director, 4-HUW Extension
Administrative ManagerMadison College
School Intervention Program ManagerMedical College of Wisconsin
Director of External RelationsUW-Milwaukee
Raquel Farmer-Hinton, Associate Professor in Educational Policy and Community Studies.
  • Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Program Director, Alternative Education
Fehrman, Darwyn
  • Lecturer, Educational Policy and Community Studies
Kalyani Rai, Associate Professor in Educational Policy & Community Studies.
  • Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
Aaron Schutz, Professor in Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Department Chair, Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Program Director, Community Engagement and Education
  • Program Director, Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education
Rajeswari Swaminathan, Professor in Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
Javier Tapia, Associate Professor in Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies
Ben Trager, Lecturer in Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Lecturer, Educational Policy and Community Studies
Aaria Troiano, Teaching Faculty III in Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Teaching Faculty III, Educational Policy and Community Studies
Agnes Williams, Lecturer in Educational Policy and Community Studies
  • Lecturer, Educational Policy and Community Studies