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Masters Program in Cultural Foundations of Education (CFE)


 "Multidisciplinary Degrees for Multifaceted Professionals"
If you're interested in a Ph.D. program, check out the Social Foundations of Education web page.

Examine the historical, political, and social dynamics of urban communities and schools. The MS in Cultural Foundations of Education provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the social forces that affect urban schools and communities.  Our program is for people who want to look deeply at the challenges facing urban areas in the 21st Century and are willing to explore creative solutions.


Courses are available during the day, as well as online, in the evening, and on weekends for working professionals.

Our students are extremely diverse, and come from and have moved into a diverse range of careers, including:

  • Teachers in Public, Private, and Alternative Schools
  • Administrators in Community Based Organizations
  • Youth Workers
  • Community Organizers and Social Activists
  • Community Developers
  • Police Officers
  • Directors of Child Care Centers
  • Ph.D. Candidates

Graduates who go on to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation tell us that the MS in Cultural Foundations of Education provided an invaluable foundation for work in a range of fields, including Sociology, Urban Studies, Education, and many others.

Many of our students are looking for a degree that will help them change direction in their professional lives.

Core Courses:

  • Sociology of Education
  • History of Education
  • Philosophy of Education
  • Educational Research

Electives:

Students can choose from a range of electives within and outside of our Department.  In-Department electives include:

  • Educating At-Risk Students
  • Community Education and Social Action
  • Foundations of Community Based Organizations
  • Sociology and Policy of Urban Communities and Schools
  • Educating Black Males
  • Education and Hispanics
  • Early Childhood Programs and the External Environment
  • Reproduction of Minority Communities

Our faculty is one of the most diverse in the entire Wisconsin system, and our professors are engaged in a range of cutting-edge research projects, including:

  • New approaches to urban community organizing and social action
  • Cross-national education programs for immigrant Latino students
  • Approaches to community development in Milwaukee
  • Innovative practices for improving pedagogy in alternative schools
  • Methods for anti-racist education
  • Strategies for engaging inner-city youth in social action
  • International approaches to holistic education
  • Critiques of current visions of democratic education
  • The history of African Americans in Milwaukee
  • Explorations of the relationship between social class and social action
  • And more. . . .
For application information and to apply online, click here.

Want to see what courses are offered during the upcoming semester? Check out the Schedule of Classes for the most up-to-date information on UWM courses!

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS