HELP Master of Arts in Social Foundations of Education (SFND) Print-Friendly Page Add to Portfolio

Adviser: Joe Bishop, Ph.D.
313 Porter
734.487.3260
joe.bishop@emich.edu

Program Theme
The social foundations graduate program seeks students with a broad range of experience and goals both within and outside of professional education. SFND students are eager to explore issues pertaining to quality of life: social and ecological justice, globalization, and the ethics of teaching in schools and society. The goal of the program is to strengthen and inform a commitment to education for participatory democracy in a pluralistic society. Graduate students in social foundations are expected to assess the complex forces—economic, social and political—that shape the structure and control of education both nationally and internationally. Students also engage in a theoretical analysis of cultural diversity as it impacts the practices and processes of education and life in a democratic society.

This program is in compliance with the Standards for Academic and Professional Instruction in Foundations of Education, Education Studies and Education Policy as defined by the American Educational Studies Association.

Program Description
Students pursuing the M.A. degree in Social Foundations of Education may choose one of three concentrations:

• Interdisciplinary cultural studies, which allows students to pursue individualized research interests, and provides an excellent preparation for advanced graduate study;
• Democracy and EcoJustice education, which emphasizes analyses of the increasing destruction of the world’s diverse ecosystems, languages and cultures by the globalizing and ethnocentric forces of Western consumer culture, and explores reforms within public schools and universities required to stem the tide of these probelms; and
• Teaching for diversity/multicultural education, gender, poverty/urban education, theoretical frameworks/practical applications, educational innovation and reform and environmental justice.

All concentrations equip students with the skills in qualitative or quantitative research so that they can analyze the social implications of educational policy, and can better understand the cultural, political and ethical dimensions of education in a pluralistic society.

Model
Eastern Michigan University’s advanced professional education program promotes inquiry, advocacy and leadership in education for a diverse and democratic society.

Admission Requirements
In addition to the requirements for admission to the Graduate School, applicants must submit:

1. Personal Statement;
2. Three letters of recommendation.

Retention Requirements
Retention requirements can be considered a mid-point check in the master’s degree program. It is necessary to successfully complete all retention requirements before proceeding with the remainder of the program.

To gain approval to proceed with exit requirements, each student must:

1. Complete a total of 12 but no more than 15 hours of graduate credit with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better;
2. In consultation with the adviser, establish a mid-point review committee consisting of three or four faculty members, two of whom must be from social foundations;
3. Write a three-page interim prospectus which will include: (a) a statement of professional goals; (b) a self-assessment of professional development since entering the program; (c) an identification of key issues to be pursued for the remainder of the program; and (d) a plan of action for the culminating experience;
4. Develop a portfolio that contains the prospectus described in number three, the approved program of study, and three examples of graduate work to verify that the student is developing appropriate skills in research and critical analysis; and
5. Make an oral presentation of the portfolio to the mid-point review committee (students are encouraged to invite their peers to the meeting). If the student’s progress is judged unsatisfactory at the time of the mid-point review, a plan of remediation will be developed by the adviser in consultation with the student and the mid-point review committee.

Exit Requirements
In order to graduate, each student is expected to:

1. Complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit applicable to the program;
2. Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0;
3. Successfully complete a thesis or take the advanced seminar, which will include a project or comprehensive examination;
4. Fill out an application for graduation and obtain the adviser’s recommendation;
5. Meet all other requirements for a master’s degree adopted by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research ;
6. Complete an exit interview with two members of the social foundations faculty to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the master’s program.