(This information is quoted or paraphrased from the General Catalog)

THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies offers programs that prepare administrators, professional personnel, teachers, and researchers in the fields of educational administration, higher education, and social foundations. The academic programs, faculty, and students in the department reflect the diversity of purposes.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

• Educational Administration
• Higher Education
• Social Foundations

HIGHER EDUCATION

Postsecondary and continuing education in the United States represents an extensive and complex set of phenomena. The academic programs in higher education encompass that complexity. Degrees are offered at all levels, with emphasis on both research and practice. Preparation for either teaching or administration is available. The teaching, research, and service activities of the faculty and the work of the graduates of the several degree programs illustrate that education beyond the high school level continues in a variety of ways for all ages and in many different settings.

The M.A. program in higher education prepares individuals for entry- and middle-level administrative, instructional management, continuing education, and policy positions in two- and four-year institutions. It is appropriate preparation for positions such as assistant dean, assistant to the president, director, in-service director, and department or program chair in selected areas. It is a nonthesis program and requires a minimum of 32 semester hours. Students concentrate in one of four areas: administrative practices, academic practices, continuing education practices, and policy studies.

The Ed.S. program provides advanced graduate study in higher education in the areas of administration, academic planning and program development (including an emphasis on academic administration), community college administration, and continuing education for students usually not planning to continue for the doctorate. The specialist degree also may be awarded upon completion of a joint program that consists of a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate work in higher education and an academic field, or upon completion of a higher education sequence following a master’s degree.

The Ph.D. program is designed for persons who are likely to serve as administrators, specialists, researchers, and teachers in postsecondary institutions or related public or private agencies. It requires a minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. The program in higher education offers five areas of concentration: general administration, academic planning and program development (including an emphasis on academic administration), community college administration, continuing education, and policy studies.

SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS

The American Educational Studies Association defines the Social Foundations of Education as a "broadly-conceived field of study that derives its character and fundamental theories from a number of academic disciplines, combinations of disciplines, and area studies: history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, religion, political science, economics, psychology, comparative and international education, educational studies, and educational policy studies." The Association goes on to acknowledge the diversity of programs that belong to this field, but recognizes that an "overarching and profoundly important academic professional purpose unifies persons who identify with the various approaches to Foundations of Education, namely, the development of interpretative, normative, and critical perspectives on education, including non-schooling enterprises" (Self-Study for Social Foundations).

There are five areas of specialization in the University of Iowa’s College of Education Social Foundations program: sociology of education, history of education, comparative/international education, philosophy of education, and policy studies. Social Foundations offers programs leading to the both the M.A. and the Ph.D. degrees (Self-Study).

The masters program is designed to provide students with a broad overview of the field. Programs are tailored to build on the strengths and aspirations of students and to develop related areas of expertise that will be of value in their future professional work. Graduates typically work in education policy positions which demand a broad analytical understanding of educational issues. The M.A. degree requires a minimum of 32 semester hours; it is a nonthesis degree (Self-Study).

The Ph.D. program in Social Foundations is interdisciplinary in nature and is designed to prepare college and university teachers as its primary purpose. Graduates of this program accept such positions as teachers and researchers in social foundations, social work, nursing education, labor and management as well as business and international education.