Earn your Education, Culture, and Society master’s degree

Deepen and broaden your understanding of larger social, political and cultural forces by earning a master’s degree in Education, Culture, and Society. Whether you choose to pursue your degree in person or fully online, you’ll participate in a flexible and challenging interdisciplinary program taught by faculty in the fields of educational policy and foundations of education. Coursework is designed to help you become an educational leader focused on diversity and social justice issues in schools and in the broader society.

The Education, Culture, and Society master’s program is designed for teachers, administrators, and individuals with bachelor’s degrees who have broad interests in educational issues but who may not be professional educators.

Students who pursue this master’s degree come from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds. Upon completion of the program, they go on to do educational work in contexts such as media outlets, not-for-profit and community-based organizations, museums, K-12 schools and higher education. The program also prepares students for doctoral work in educational policy studies or related fields.

Don’t just listen to the conversation on equity—take part and lead it.

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Online Degree Option

The online Education, Culture, and Society (MA/MEd) from DePaul’s College of Education offers small class sizes and is taught by the same award-winning faculty you'll find on campus. Tailored to meet the needs of your busy schedule, you'll achieve the same learning outcomes as in-person classes through collaborative and engaged learning.

Deepen your knowledge of social and political issues in education

View education through the lens of social justice and pursue your passion through work in community-based organizations, museums and cultural centers, schools and other institutions of higher education in Chicago and beyond.

Application Deadlines

Applications are reviewed on a continuous basis. You are encouraged to apply early for best consideration.

• Fall: August 1
• Winter: November 15

Admission Requirements

Submit an online application, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, résumé, writing sample and personal statement.

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Required Courses

You’ll take seven core courses and five electives and complete a thesis for your MA.

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5 electives

You’ll take a broad array of electives to customize the program to meet your professional goals.

 

92%

of College of Education graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.

Study with social justice leaders

Learn with Vincent de Paul Associate Professor Stephen Haymes about the relationship of education and ecology to the global politics of difference. Internationally, Professor Haymes works with displaced rural communities; he is an expert in critical educational theory and philosophy of education and will help you broadly explore education as a social practice and the ethical dimensions of global justice, peace and social change.

“I used my knowledge gained in the Education, Culture, and Society program, coupled with my experience as an educator, to complete my master’s thesis on how teacher education programs can prepare a more diverse and culturally sustaining teacher workforce. I appreciate that the program has enabled me to create a career path which allows me to create a broader impact in education, develop a deeper understanding of education and the social forces which shape the field, and move into the higher education sector where I can work with pre-service teachers and teacher educators.”

Emily (MA ’20)

Alumni Network

Graduates work in varied settings, including diversity directors for schools and universities, educational outreach and curriculum development coordinators in museums and other cultural centers, and in student support services. Your degree opens doors in the Chicago area and beyond by having access to a strong alumni community of over 195,500 Blue Demons.

Scholarships

Graduate school is an investment in your future. Learn more about the financial aid and scholarship opportunities available to you.

Admission Requirements

Admission Eligibility

To be eligible to enroll in the Education, Culture, and Society master's degree program, students must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Application Requirements

A complete application to the program will include the following materials:

• Graduate admission application
• $40 application fee
• Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
• Résumé
• Three letters of recommendation (at least two academic letters and the third being academic or other)
• A writing sample (e.g. a term paper, seminar paper, or senior thesis or portion thereof)
• Personal statement that indicates your reasons for wanting to enter the program and what you have accomplished since earning a bachelor's degree

Applicants who have earned a degree outside of the U.S. or who will be considered international students must submit additional materials. Visit our International Students page for more information.

Applicants can upload supplemental application materials, send requests for letters of recommendation, and pay the application fee through our online application system.

Application Deadlines

The Education, Culture, and Society program admits new students in the fall and winter quarters. Applications are reviewed on a continuous basis and may be considered beyond the deadline if there is space available. For best consideration you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Term	Regular Deadline
Fall	August 1
Winter	December 1

Applicants typically receive an admission decision 3-4 weeks after they submit a complete application.

Information Sessions

Learn more about the Education, Culture, and Society graduate program and meet with program faculty at an upcoming information session.

Degree Requirements

We offer the Education, Culture, and Society MA/?MEd in two modalities: on-campus and fully online.

Degree requirements for each modality are unique. On-campus degree requirements are listed below, and online degree requirements are listed in the Academic Catalog.

View online requirements in the Catalog

On-Campus Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

Theoretical Core Courses: 20 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
SCG 527	GLOBAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION SEMINAR	4
SCG 603	CULTURE AND EDUCATION SEMINAR	4
SCG 604	IDENTITY: CONSTRUCTIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS SEMINAR	4
SCG 608	IDEOLOGY, POWER AND POLITICS SEMINAR	4
SCG 611	PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION, CULTURE AND ETHICS SEMINAR	4

Research Inquiry Core Courses: 8 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
SCG 610	INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS	4
SCG 635	ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES	4

Five Elective Courses with Faculty Advisor Approval: 20 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

• College of Education Electives (8 quarter hours)
• Non-College of Education Electives (12 quarter hours)

Master of Arts (MA) Degree Requirement Thesis Course: 4 Quarter Hours, Grade of C or Better Required

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
SCG 636	THESIS RESEARCH	4

The student prepares a thesis, which is a report of the results of an original investigation. The student must first obtain approval of the subject and general plan from their Thesis Advisor, and have a research proposal approved by his/her thesis committee. The Thesis Advisor must be an EPSR faculty member (but not necessarily the originally assigned Faculty Advisor). The College of Education Thesis Handbook outlines the policies and procedures needed to successfully satisfy the thesis requirement. The College of Education Thesis Handbook can be obtained from the College of Education website.

Course Registration

Registration for ECS master’s degree core courses is different from regular registration. The ECS students are granted access to registration for ECS core courses. If a student has special circumstances and cannot register for all cores offered in a term, this must be discussed with and approved by that student’s ECS faculty advisor prior to the start of the term. Course registration for electives is the same as for all College of Education students. 

Content displayed from this DePaul University catalog page.