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Master of Education in Educational Psychology - Social Foundations
The M.Ed. program in Social Foundations offers an interdisciplinary course of study that explores the interrelationship between education, schooling, and society. Drawing on the social sciences and humanities, students study issues of culture, class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in education broadly and critically both in the U.S. and around the world.
Social Foundations embraces traditional disciplinary approaches in analyzing and interpreting education. It also vigorously promotes an interdisciplinary approach utilizing a variety of research methods to explore complex questions and issues in education. Our program provides a synergistic and flexible curriculum that exposes students to historical, anthropological, philosophical, and sociological approaches to understanding and researching education and schooling.
Core Requirements
A minimum of 33 semester-hours of graduate course credit must be completed to earn an M.Ed. Up to 6 semester-hours of graduate credit taken prior to admission may be counted toward the degree, as long as courses are current and related to the program of study. Only 3 credits of independent study may be counted toward degree requirements.
Required courses include
and three of the following courses:
Electives
9 semester-hours (electives) may be earned in other courses offered by the school or university. These should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor so as to provide strength in the student’s specific area of academic and/or professional interest.
Students may elect to do more intensive work in history, philosophy, sociology, or anthropology of education by taking further courses in these areas as well as in the university departments of history, philosophy, sociology, or anthropology. Others might want to build their program around an area of practical educational interest, such as work relating to comparative education, critical educational policy, and/or multicultural education.
Culminating Experience
The comprehensive exam is in the form of a research paper developed during the student’s time in the program. In their final semester of coursework, students submit a 15-20 research page paper that will be evaluated by Social Foundations faculty.
Public Professional Licensure Disclosure
As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).
Upon completion of the Master of Education in Educational Psychology at the UVA School of Education and Human Development, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state.
Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))
Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).
Doctor of Philosophy in Education - Social Foundations
The Ph.D. program in Social Foundations of Education offers an interdisciplinary course of study that explores the interrelationship between education, schooling, and society. The task of Social Foundations is to examine issues that reach beyond the given roles and goals of educational specialists and practitioners. In this context, education and schooling are viewed broadly and critically within social, cultural, and intellectual currents both in the U.S. and abroad.
While Social Foundations in the School of Education and Human Development embraces traditional disciplinary approaches in analyzing and interpreting education, it also vigorously promotes an interdisciplinary approach utilizing a variety of research methods to explore complex questions and issues in education. Social Foundations provides a synergistic and flexible curriculum that exposes students to sociological, anthropological, and historical approaches to understanding and researching education and schooling. Social Foundations seeks not only to educate and mentor students to become good academics, but also to provide students with theoretical understandings that will enable them to become scholars and intellectuals.
Core Requirements
Students must complete 72 credits beyond the Bachelor’s degree in accordance with program requirements and in consultation with their advisor. Students may transfer up to 24 hours from their master’s degree into the Social Foundations Ph.D. program.
Required courses may include
and twelve (12) additional credits chosen from the Social Foundations Core:
Other Courses
In addition, students must complete twelve (12) research methods credits, at least three (3) of which must be in quantitative research methods. Students must also complete six (6) credits in the form of independent studies or supervised research. At least twelve credits of dissertation work must be completed.
Culminating Experience
Ph.D. students must successfully complete a dissertation study in accordance with the School of Education and Human Development Ph.D. dissertation guidelines.
