The program consists of a total of 38 credits, of which 65% are required core and methods courses; 4 credits are devoted to completion of a one-semester capstone project, and the balance are composed of electives as determined by the students’ choice of concentration.
Students who are selected to be fellows in the Columbia University Center for Public Research and Leadership program complete the same requirements but follow a modified sequence of study in their final semester. Please consult your academic adviser for more information.
Required Foundation Courses in Sociology and Economics: 9 credits
- SOED-GE 2002 An Introduction to Sociology of Education (3 credits)
- CORE-GP 1018 Microeconomics for Public Management Planning and Policy Analysis (3 credits)
- EDPLY-GE 2030 Education and Social Policy (3 credits)
Required Courses in Statistics and Methods: 13 credits
- APSTA-GE 2001 Statistics for Behavioral and Social Sciences I (3 credits)
- PADM-GP 2902 Multiple Regression and Introduction to Econometrics (3 credits)
- RESCH-GE 2140 Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry OR APSTA-GE 2139 Survey Research Methods (3 credits)
- APSTA-GE 2110 Applied Statistics: Using Large Databases in Education (4 credits)
Required Final Project Capstone-Practicum Class: 4 credits
The Capstone-Practicum course is taken during the third semester in the program for full-time students or during the fifth semester for part-time students. Students work in teams to design and perform a research study. Projects are designed and written for a particular “clientele” in the policy community. Throughout the tenure of their project, students are expected to consult with faculty who have relevant expertise in appropriate fields of research specialization.
As an alternative to the Capstone-Practicum course, students may apply to participate in the Center for Public Research and Leadership during their final semester of full-time study and to complete their capstone requirements through their fellowship program.
See examples of recent Capstone-Practicum projects.
Electives: 12 credits
Students can choose electives in a number of subject areas, but students need not choose all three electives from one subject area.
Elementary and Secondary Education Issues
- EDPLY-GE 2020 Financing Schools: Equity and Adequacy in Public Education (3 credits)
- EDLED-GE 2350 Research on School Choice (3 credits)
- EDLED-GE 2341 Politics of Education (3 credits)
- HSED-GE 2400 Foundations of Education: History of Education (3 credits)
- HSED-GE 2070 Public Problems: Education and Social Policy (3 credits)
- BILED-GE 2001 Bilingual Multicultural Education: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
- APSY-GE 2345 Academic Achievement Gaps (3 credits)
- Additional course(s) by advisement
Higher Education Issues
- SOED-GE 2163 Sociology of Higher Education (3 credits)
- AMLT-GE 2072 International Perspectives on Education Reform (3 credits)
- HPSE-GE 2090 Foundations of Higher Education (3 credits)
- HPSE-GE 2135 The Politics of Higher Education (3 credits)
- HPSE-GE 2161 Diversity in Higher Education (3 credits)
- HSED-GE 2067 History of Higher Education (3 credits)
- Additional course(s) by advisement
Early Childhood and Preschool Issues
- ECED-GE 2024 Issues in Early Childhood Education (3 credits)
- CHDED-GE 2021 Child Development and the Program in Childhood Education (3 credits)
- Additional course(s) by advisement
Race, Class, and Education Issues
- SOED-GE 2371 Social Inequality and Education (3 credits)
- SOED-GE 2097 Latinos in Urban Schools (3 credits)
- HSED-GE 2174 History of American Education and Society: Race and Ethnicity (3 credits)
- HSED-GE 2173 History of American Education and Society: Education and the Culture Wars (3 credits)
- Additional course(s) by advisement
International Education Issues
- INTE-GE 2804 International Education and Cultural Relations (3 credits)
- INTE-GE 2803 Foundations in International Education (4 credits)
- INTE-GE 2028 Comparative Politics, Education, and Conflict (3 credits)
- Additional course(s) by advisement