Social Foundations of Education Specialization
The Program

The Ph.D. in Social 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 21^st Century and are willing to explore creative solutions.

Students in Social Foundations examine the sociological, historical, philosophical, anthropological, and political dimensions of schools and community change.  Social foundations doctoral students may investigate issues and contexts grounded in the core disciplines of the social sciences.

FacultyOur 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 

A Flexible Schedule for Working ProfessionalsCourses are available during the day, as well as online, in the evening, and on weekends for working professionals.

StudentsMost of our students are planning to seek full-time university positions after graduation. 

Student Dissertation Topics Include:

• Teaching social action to high school students
• Mentoring African American students
• Foundations of early-childhood education
• Hip-Hop and social action strategies
• Critical race theory and the education of new police officers
• An analysis of online learning
• Critical discussions of supervision in an alternative school 

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

Application DeadlineRolling admission: completed application file required 6 weeks prior to semester you wish to enter the program.

Program RequirementsAll students will complete course work in the following areas:

• Urban Education Doctoral Seminars (9 credits)
  
• Research Design and Methodology (15 credits)
  
• Minor (12 credits)
  
• Social Foundations Core Courses (12 credits)
• Social Foundations Electives (12 credits)
  

The student must meet all of the program requirements of the Urban Education Doctoral Program including:

Urban Education Doctoral Seminars(minimum 9 credits)

• EDUC 701 - Urban Education Issues
• ED POL 801 - Urban Education: Multicultural Studies
  
• EDUC 901 - Advanced Seminar in Urban Education

Research Design and Methodology (minimum 15 credits)

• ED PSY 724 - Educational Statistical Methods II (prerequisite is ED PSY 624 and ED PSY )
• AD LDSP/CURRINS 729 - Qualitative Research and Field Studies in Education Settings 
• At least nine credits of additional advanced level coursework (800 or above) from either a qualitative or quantitative track.
• As part of the six credits in advanced level work, three must be in the minor area and three must be in the School of Education.
  

Minor In a related discipline that supports the student's program of studies.

• Option A: 8 or more credits in a single department outside of the School of Education.
• Option B: 6 or more credits in each of two departments, with at least one department outside of the school.

Social Foundations of Education Core Courses(minimum 12 Credits)

• ED POL 805 - Seminar in Sociology of Education
• ED POL 822 - Global Educational Studies
• ED POL 840 - Educational Theory
• ED POL 850 - Seminar in History of Education

Social Foundations of Education Electives (minimum 12 credits)
Students can choose from a range of electives within and outside of our department. In-departmental electives include:

• ED POL 500 - Sociology and Policy of Urban Communities and Schools
  
• ED POL 503 - Foundations of Community Based Organizations
  
• ED POL 533 - Educating Black Males
  
• ED POL 535 - Educating At-Risk Students
• ED POL 560 - Education and Hispanics
• ED POL 584 - Early Childhood Programs and the External Environment
• ED POL 610 - Reproduction in Minority Communities
• ED POL 712 - Community Education and Social Action
  

Exit Requirements

Contingent upon satisfactory completion of program requirements, the preliminary qualifying examination, and the successful oral defense of the dissertation, the Director of the Urban Education Doctoral Program will give final approval for the inclusion of "Urban Education: Social Foundations of Education" on the student's transcript.