Doctoral Program in Educational Policy
The doctoral program in educational policy draws on the expertise of faculty from three departments in the
College of Education: Educational Administration, Teacher Education, and Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education. It has been developed in cooperation with faculty from other colleges at Michigan State University, including the College of Social Science and the College of Law. Students may take coursework in these colleges. In addition, students in the program are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities for informal and formal interaction with others interested in policy issues, including the many colloquia, workshops, and brown bag sessions presented by the Educational Policy Center at Michigan State University housed in the College of Education.

Policy students may design an individual program of study that suits their specific scholarly and professional interests. Possible concentrations within the policy major include:

· Economics and finance of education
· Educational politics and policy analysis
· Social analysis of educational policy and educational reform
· Policy for teaching and teacher education
· Assessment, evaluation, and quantitative analysis
· Comparative and international perspectives on educational policy

Students in this program complete four required courses on education policy; four courses on educational inquiry and research; six additional courses designed to advance the concentration in policy studies and to achieve competence in an approved policy discipline such as political science, economics, sociology, comparative studies, or evaluation; an internship or field placement, comprehensive examination; and a dissertation.

To be considered for significant financial support in the form of fellowships and assistantships, the application must be complete by December 1. The admissions committee will review completed applications at other times during the year, but because the program is small and only a limited number of the most qualified applicants can be admitted each year, applicants whose files are complete by December 1 are at a competitive advantage. For more information, see http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/edpolicy/

Program Faculty