Overview

The program faculty in Educational Theory and Policy is comprised of specialists in history of education, philosophy of education, and sociology of education. Our faculty members, as well as faculty in related disciplines in the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences and the Liberal Arts, offer an interdisciplinary approach to the study of education and schooling leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
The goals of this Educational Theory and Policy program at Pennsylvania State University are to understand the nature and context of educational ideas and educational processes, and to understand and evaluate policies.
The master's and doctoral programs in Educational Theory and Policy are designed to prepare professionals in education research and policy development and analysis. The nature of studies to be undertaken will vary, depending upon their scholarly interests, career goals, and backgrounds.
In general, students will inquire into education and schooling from the perspectives of both cultural studies and social science disciplines. The synthesis of these modes of investigation will be developed in the core studies of Educational Theory and Policy. Concentrations can be pursued in the traditional cultural or social foundations fields, history, philosophy, and sociology.
This multidisciplinary approach to Educational Theory and Policy is based on the belief that educational theorists and policymakers require integrated humanistic, social science, and educational studies.

Learning outcomes

Demonstrate mastery of the student’s specific program emphasis area, which includes knowledge of primary and secondary literature related to research methodologies, programmatic research priorities, and implications of that research for professional practice.
Students will design and carry out a research project that includes articulating an important and original question, analyzing appropriate literature, demonstrating conceptual and methodological creativity, and carrying out an original inquiry.
Demonstrate critical thinking about selected recent research in the program emphasis area through the description of an emerging scholarly theme/area, identification of specific publications that reflect it, and assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.
Demonstrate standards of field in written and oral communication by requiring research presentations in several courses.
Demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of research ethics issues including knowledge of ethical principles related to authorship, research reporting, data fabrication, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, peer review, data sharing and other areas of misconduct.
Participate in conducting research with faculty, working on the boards of professional journals, or other significant professional engagement as identified by the master’s adviser.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Research Design: Implications for Decisions in Higher Education
Applied Statistical Inference for the Behavioral Sciences
Qualitative Methods in Educational Research
Data Analysis for Education Research
Economics of Education
Interpreting and Analyzing Quantitative Studies in Education Policy
Testing and Educational Equity

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-25 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-04-25 00:00:00 , International

More details

International applicants are encouraged to submit materials at least four months before the beginning of the semester for which they are applying.

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

36 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

University Park, United States

Disciplines

Education Social Policy View 148 other Masters in Social Policy in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

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98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Students with a 2.75 grade-point average will be considered for admission to the master's program.
Scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are required for admission.
All international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

46796 USD / year

≈ 46796 USD / year
Out-of-State

46796 USD / year

≈ 46796 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

25966 USD / year

≈ 25966 USD / year

Living costs

University Park

United States

1000 - 1500 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Financing

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Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

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Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Educational Theory and Policy.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Learning outcomes

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

University Park

Financing

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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