Overview

This program in Leadership, Policy and Advocacy for Early Childhood Well-Being at Boston University prepares early childhood leaders to work with and on behalf of young children and families in policy, leadership, education, human services, health, and other careers.

The program is uniquely flexible, with core coursework in child development, international child and family research, racial and cultural identities, understanding and dismantling systems of inequity and oppression, and early childhood policy. Additionally, students will select from identified courses from across the University to tailor their program to their own professional aspirations.

The MA is designed as a 12-month, full-time or part-time program that may begin in the summer or fall semester each year. All students will design and participate in two semester-long field experiences in their professional field.

Learning Outcomes

At completion of the program, students will:

Demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of the physical, neurological, cognitive, language, social, and emotional domains and theories of development applied to young children, prenatal to middle childhood.
Demonstrate respect for and recognize the strengths in cultural and other variances in developmental norms, values, and family dynamics and systems.
Using a multidisciplinary lens, critically analyze current research on young children and their environments, and policies that affect them, across a range of relevant fields in order to carry out original research and/or to design field interventions for healthy development of young children and their families.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of texts, concepts, and issues in early childhood, including the intersectionality of categories of difference, the impact of relations of power, oppression, and liberation, and past and present theories and practices designed to promote social justice.
Develop, articulate, and demonstrate in one’s professional practice an understanding of one’s own racial, cultural, and linguistic identities, areas of privilege and marginalization, biases, participation in and/or personal impact of racist and oppressive behaviors and systems.
Develop the skills necessary to actively plan and implement an antiracist, anti-bias agenda and to participate in dismantling systemic oppression in one’s practice settings and systems.
Understand public and private social policy as it pertains to young children, their families, and the systems that contain them, as well as the processes and cycles of policymaking, and apply this knowledge in advocacy for children and families.
Demonstrate expertise in enacting interdisciplinary practices by appropriately integrating knowledge from a range of disciplines in one’s scholarship and field projects.
Demonstrate the capacity to play a leadership role in promoting best practices in early childhood development and family support in programs, organizations, and systems.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Child Policy
Child Development & Families in Societal and Cultural Contexts
Psychology of Oppression
Field Experience & Seminar in Early Childhood Leadership, Policy and Advocacy
Foundational Research

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-03 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-01 00:00:00
Starting 2027-01-21 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-15 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

125

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

36 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Boston, United States

Disciplines

Early Childhood Education Educational Leadership Leadership View 626 other Masters in Educational Leadership in United States

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

125

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Application Form
Statement of Qualifications and Objectives
Equity & Inclusion Statement
Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Transcripts
Letters of Recommendation
Standardized Test Scores
English Proficiency

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

66670 USD / year

≈ 66670 USD / year
Out-of-State

66670 USD / year

≈ 66670 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

66670 USD / year

≈ 66670 USD / year

Living costs

Boston

United States

1560 - 3239 USD / month

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

Financing

Interested in financing your studies? Find a student loan that works for you.

MPOWER Financing No cosigner. No collateral. No hidden fees.

Check your Eligibility

Get the funding you need to study in the U.S. or Canada - with a process that's fast, simple, and built for international students.

Flexible loans from US$2,001 to US$100,000
Fixed interest rates -- no inflation surprises
No upfront fees or prepayment penalties
Accepted at 500+ universities across the U.S. & Canada
100% online application -- instant conditional offer
Free visa & career support through our Path2Success program

Funding

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.

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.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Leadership, Policy and Advocacy for Early Childhood Well-Being.

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

Boston

Financing

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners