Providing students with a deeper understanding of urban educational issues with a focus on the historical, political, economic, and socio-cultural context of communities, schools, and society.
The Department Offers:
Degree ProgramsUndergraduate Program in Community Engagement and Education
Educational skills to urban agencies and organizations.
Master's Program in Cultural Foundations of Education
Provides educators with a deeper understanding of urban educational issues in the cultural context of community and society.
Master's Program in Community Organizing
The joint MS concentration in Community Organizing is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies (EPCS) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and the Autonomous University of Social Movements (AUSM), a project of the Mexico-US Solidarity Network. The two-year, thirty-credit program gives students strong theoretical foundations and practical experiences in community organizing
Ph.D. in Urban Education with a Specialization in Social Foundations of Education
This Ph.D. specialization provides students with the conceptual tools with which to examine the complex interrelationships between school and society, education and culture.
Specialized Programs
Alternative Education Certification
This add-on certificate to an existing Department of Pulic Instruction (DPI) teaching certificate prepares educators to work in alternative school settings and with youth at risk.
Community Leadership Certificate
The Undergraduate Certificate Program in Community Leadership gives students an opportunity to explore leadership theory, community organizing, the role of civic life and identity, and gain practical experience in community engagement and leadership.
Community Leadership Living Learning Community (LLC)
Interested in connecting with other students, gaining experience in the surrounding community, and being part of a "community within a community" at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee? If so, the Community Leadership Living Learning Community might be for you!
Community Organizing Certificate
The Undergraduate Certificate Program in Community Organizing gives students an opportunity to gain a practical, historical, and theoretical understanding of strategies for promoting social change through collective action.
Youth Work Certificate
The Youth Work Certificate is the first interdisciplinary program for the study of the principles of youth work in the United States. The program is available to students in Social Work, Educational Policy and Community Education, Exceptional Education and Educational Studies. It is ideal for students who want to learn more about adolescence and working with youth in a variety of settings, including large and small community based programs, group homes, foster care and residential treatment centers. The focus is on youth who are troubled or at high risk, but much of the learning applies to youth in general and younger children as well.
What's Included?
In the Community Education program, students focus on a broad range of areas, including: child care, youth work, urban education, alternative education/at risk students, community‑based organizations: policy and leadership, and community organizing.
In our MS and Ph.D. programs, students examine a wide range of issues, including race relations, urban education, community change, and the history, sociology, anthropology and philosophy of urban education.
Courses are offered on evenings, weekends, off‑campus, and online. Our classes are small, offering an opportunity to learn with a diverse group of peers.
