Education Policy

 Policy, Management and Evaluation Division

M.S.Ed. | Ph.D. | Application Info | Faculty | Contact 

The Education Policy specialization trains graduates who seek to improve education through research on policy, finance, school reform, and school governance. The faculty and many of the graduate students in Education Policy are associated with the federally funded Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) and/or the Penn Center for Community Partnerships, which supports service-learning programs and research.  Students are also involved with a variety of other major research programs with GSE faculty.

The Education Policy degree programs offer coursework and research training in education policy research and analysis for individuals interested in careers in academic, governmental, and non-governmental research settings. The program prepares students to apply sound analytical techniques to the design and evaluation of education and social policy interventions; to conduct rigorous implementation and process evaluations; and rich analysis of a wide range of program and policy issues related to the sociology, politics, and the economics of education.  In addition to the foundational and research methodology courses, students build a program of study that includes courses in the economics of education, school finance, cost-benefit analysis, policy making, school organization, and the history of American education reform.  Research training includes multiple methods of inquiry, covers all levels of education from pre-K through higher education, and addresses multiple levels of public policy interests, including state, national and international.  Students build their research skills through a combination of research apprenticeships with faculty and courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods.  The program covers four essential components associated with effective policy and practice:

• Implementation of a coherent set of policies and practices
• Inclusion of meaningful incentives for individuals and organizations
• Development of the capacity of individuals and organizations to institute and sustain necessary changes
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of education policies

Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.)                               

The M.S.Ed. degree in Education Policy requires a minimum of 10 course units of approved graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree along with a Masters Research Paper. 

Required Courses (6)
M.S.Ed. students in Education Policy are required to take one foundation course, two methods courses and three education policy courses.  Examples of these courses are as follows:

• EDUC 544 School and Society
• EDUC 548 American Education Reform
• EDUC-591 Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
• EDUC-601 Economic Aspects of Educational Policy
• EDUC-628 Education Finance Policy
• EDUC-712 Policy Making in Education

Distribution requirement (1)
All GSE masters students must satisfy a distributional requirement that demonstrates breadth within the field of education.  This requirement is fulfilled by enrolling in one course unit in the Graduate School of Education but outside of the Education Policy Specialization.

Electives (3)
Three graduate elective courses can be taken at GSE or any of Penn’s graduate schools.  Students choose their elective coursework in consultation with their academic advisor.

Advising
Upon admission, each student will be assigned an academic advisor who will aid in the planning of the course of study and professional development.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)  

The full-time Ph.D. degree program in Education Policy requires a minimum of 23 course units of approved graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree. Under certain conditions, the program will accept equivalent credit towards the degree for up to eight course units of graduate-level coursework taken prior to enrollment in the degree program. Students must complete a dissertation on a problem in education to complete the course of study.   

Required Courses (10)
Ph.D. students in Education Policy are required to take two foundation courses, four methods (2 qualitative and 2 quantitative) courses and four policy courses.  Examples of these courses are as follows:

• EDUC-519 The Evolution of Assessment
• EDUC-548 American Education Reform: History, Policy and Practices
• EDUC-591 Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis
• EDUC-601 Economic Aspects of Educational Policy
• EDUC-624 Schools as Organizations
• EDUC-628 Education Finance Policy
• EDUC-646 Education, Culture and Society
• EDUC-660 Qualitative Approaches to Program Evaluation in Urban Schools
• EDUC-667 Applied Quantitative Analysis
• EDUC-672 Introduction to Ethnographic Methods
• EDUC-712 Policy Making in Education

Advising
Upon admission, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will aid in the planning of the course of study and professional development.

Preliminary examination
All Ph.D. students are required to complete a comprehensive examination after completion of coursework. Students will receive guidance from the academic division on the procedures and timing of this exam.

Application Requirements  

• Penn GSE Application
• Application fee
• Curriculum Vitae or résumé
• Score report from the Graduate Records Examination (as reported by ETS)
• Statement of purpose
• Three letters of recommendation
• Academic transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions
• International applicants must also supply the score report from the TOEFL or IELTS examinations

Application Deadlines

• M.S.Ed. applications are reviewed until the program is full.  Students who submit applications by February 1^st will receive notification no later than March 1^st.
• Ph.D. – December 15, 2007

Program Faculty      

Laura Desimone, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Margaret E. Goertz, Ph.D., Syracuse University
Richard M. Ingersoll, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania 
Rebecca Maynard, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ruth Curran Neild, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
John Puckett, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Diana Slaughter-Defoe, Ph.D., University of Chicago
Jonathan A. Supovitz, Ed.D., Harvard University  

Program Contact Information   

Policy, Management and Evaluation Division
University of Pennsylvania , Graduate School of Education

To contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid directly, please call 1-877-PENNGSE or by e-mail at admissions@gse.upenn.edu or finaid@gse.upenn.edu.