The master's degree in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education is an interdisciplinary program designed to appeal to students who wish to study education, not only as schooling, but also broadly as a dynamic cultural and political force. The program attracts teachers, administrators, and others who may not be professional educators in a k-12 setting, many of whom come from not-for-profit foundations, museums, and community organizations for personal and professional enhancement and in preparation for future doctoral study in educational policy, the social sciences and the humanities.
Why is DePaul’s program special?
At DePaul, we believe that education is a force for challenging assumptions of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexual difference. From this perspective, education is an indispensable tool for enabling social justice and democratic life.
Here, you’ll see education as a dynamic process that shapes social identities and societal life. And you’ll learn the values and beliefs that affect people’s cognitive and emotional judgments and actions. In this context, you’ll investigate the pedagogical and cultural conditions that help people flourish and that redefine our engagement in social life.
The faculty in this program comes from a variety of disciplines and fields within educational policy studies: the sociology of education, the philosophy of education, the history of education, the psychology of education/human development, critical pedagogy, cultural studies, feminist studies, urban studies, critical race studies, research methods and more.
Their interests are far-ranging, including globalization, social theory and social construction of knowledge, the role of education in perpetuating or eliminating inequalities, socially-situated theories of learning and teaching, and the role of education in the construction of culture and social identities.
Given the nature of this degree program, you’ll have the opportunity (with the approval of your faculty advisor) to take 24 hours of elective courses in the College of Education and in the university. Choices of elective can include, but are not limited to, courses in communications, philosophy, women's studies, American studies, international studies, public policy, and sociology.
Degree Requirements
Thesis Option: Upon completion of the program-Students will receive a Masters of Arts Degree
- 52 quarter hours or 13 courses including thesis are required for completion of the MA in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education.
- 20 quarter hours or 5 courses are electives and are to be completed outside of the SCFE program. Of the electives, 8 quarters hours or 2 courses are to be completed in the College of Education but outside of the SCFE program and 12 quarter hours or 3 courses outside of the College of Education. In addition to core courses and electives, 4 quarter hours or one course is required for the completion of the master's thesis.
- For students wanting more flexibility, course electives can be tailored to address professional and research issues and interests. Students looking for more structure can cluster their elective courses to pursue a particular focus within education to include curriculum studies, educational leadership, human development and learning or public service.
Capstone Option: Upon completion of the program-students will receive the Masters of Education Degree
- 56 quarter hours or 15 courses including thesis are required for completion of the M.Ed. in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education.
- 20 quarter hours or 5 courses are electives and are to be completed outside of the SCFE program. Of the electives, 8 quarters hours or 2 courses are to be completed in the College of Education but outside of the SCFE program and 12 quarter hours or 3 courses outside of the College of Education.
- Students will be required to complete two additional elective courses (8 additional credit hours) and a capstone paper (with the corresponding no credit capstone course) for a total of 56 quarter hours or 15 courses instead of completing a thesis with the corresponding thesis course.
- The additional electives must not include any courses that count towards teacher certification. The topic of the capstone paper will be designed by the student in consultation with a faculty advisor.