Master's Degrees

The Designing for Innovation concentration in the Master of Arts in Educational Studies program focuses on preparing professionals for designing a wide range of learning environments in formal and informal settings. Design takes many forms and can span the design of technology, curriculum, new pedagogical approaches, and even innovative spaces for learning.

The Educational Equity, Justice, and Social Transformation (EEJST) concentration in the Master of Arts in Educational Studies program is designed to provide students with a foundation in the social, cultural, economic, historical, and political foundations of schooling. Students critically examine educational contexts, practices, and policies rooted in  injustice, whiteness, and oppression in educational systems to unpack how these systems have fostered social inequity and work toward justice-driven change.

The Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP) concentration in the Master of Arts in Educational Studies program is a rigorous and comprehensive residential, cohort-based program that prepares graduates with the skills required to lead and shape educational institutions and policies at local, national, and global levels. The ELP concentration allows students to specialize in PK-12 Educational Leadership, Educational Policy, or both. 

If your career objective is integrating business acumen with educational expertise to effect meaningful improvements in our education system, the Marsal Family School of Education and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business offer a unique dual-degree program leading to the Master of Arts in Educational Studies and the Master of Business Administration degrees.

The Program Evaluation and Improvement (PEIR) concentration in the Master of Arts in Educational Studies program is designed to prepare students for professional positions in organizations that are seeking to improve educational practice and policy, including local public school districts, technical assistance partners, research organizations and centers, and policy agencies.

The Online Master of Arts in Leading Educational Innovation and Transformation prepares graduates to explore, cultivate, and implement innovative ideas and strategies designed to fundamentally shift the current educational landscape.

In the Diversity and Social Justice Concentration, you will learn how to foster validating  environments, advocate for equitable opportunities to succeed, and lead meaningful change in higher education. Courses provide learning experiences intended to build your knowledge of factors that influence access to higher education, foster (in)equitable learning opportunities and spaces, and inform student persistence and success. You will also explore the role of power in the history and functioning of U.S. higher education, the foundations of systemic oppression, and the actions that can promote or hinder advancing desirable student and institutional outcomes, for all.  The Diversity and Social Justice

In the Individually Designed Concentration, you will prepare to be an educator and leader who can adapt and respond  to the various challenges facing higher education today. This concentration offers a tailored approach to your learning, which provides you options to explore emerging areas in the study of higher education and deepen your knowledge in specific areas of interest. Courses focus on building your knowledge of the goals, structure, and function of U.S. colleges and universities; factors that influence student access, persistence, and academic success; and the broader ecosystem of education entities (e.g., policy organizations, foundations, state and federal higher

In the Institutional Research Concentration, you will learn various methods used to analyze data and to conduct research that addresses the needs of colleges and universities for effective functioning and improvement. You will also develop an understanding of the role of institutional research within a broader organizational context. Courses focus on learning experiences that will build your knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods and their use in institutional assessment and research. This will include learning to develop and frame research questions; how to report research findings to varied audiences; and ways to make connections between research, policy, and practice

In the Management and Organizations Concentration, you will build your knowledge and organizational skills to advance change in higher education as you learn how colleges and universities function and how they are designed.  Courses provide learning experiences intended to build your knowledge of the goals, structure, and function of U.S. colleges and universities while considering how organizational dynamics and systems interact within these institutions to shape organizational cultures, decision-making, and outcomes. Foundational topics include shared governance, budget and resource allocation, strategic planning, human resources, accreditation, enrollment management, and organizational change. You will learn to analyze  budgets, diagnose organizational conflicts, and

In this dual degree program, you will tailor your learning and build your career potential by earning both an MBA and MA in Higher Education.  In the Ross School of Business, you will build a combination of technical, managerial, and financial skills, while in the Marsal Family School of Education, you will deepen your understanding of educational theory and the complexities of higher education. Courses focus on a variety of learning experiences, including those that will build your knowledge of the goals, structure, and function of U.S. colleges and universities and the broader ecosystem of education entities (e.g., policy organizations

In this dual degree program, you will tailor your learning as you earn both an MA in Higher Education and a Master of Public Policy. Courses offered through the Ford School of Public Policy will examine the current policy landscape in the U.S. while you build your quantitative research skills. In your Higher Education courses through the Marsal Family School of Education, you will hone your focus on U.S. higher education issues and contextualize your understanding of how theory and research contribute to policy and policy outcomes. You will also learn about the broader ecosystem of education entities (e.g., policy

In the Public Policy Concentration, you will study the challenges facing higher education and learn how state and federal policy shapes U.S. higher education. You will analyze policy issues such as financial aid and affordability, state appropriations and institutional finance, admissions and hiring, access to college, equitable outcomes, and accountability policy. Your courses will seek to build your knowledge of the broad ecosystem of education entities in the U.S. (e.g., policy organizations, foundations, think tanks, state and federal higher education agencies), the policymaking processes salient to higher education, and the factors that influence students’ access to higher education, persistence, and

The Student Access and Success Concentration equips you with the tools to design and implement policies and programs that support students’ abilities to achieve their goals through higher education. You will explore the many kinds of learning and development that happen in colleges and universities, across various institutional settings and within and beyond the classroom. This path explores individual student learning and development, institutional factors that influence teaching and learning, and the broader societal conditions — social, cultural, and historical — that shape educational environments and students’ pathways to and through college. Courses focus on building your knowledge of the

In the Master of Arts in Educational Studies with Elementary Teacher Certification program, students develop the professional and personal knowledge, dispositions, and skills required to engage diverse groups of children in thoughtful learning. The immersive full-time program begins in mid-June and finishes in mid-June the following year.

In the Master of Arts in Educational Studies with Secondary Teacher Certification program, students participate in university and school-based experiences that enable them to meet the challenges facing today's educators teaching at the junior high and high school levels. The immersive full-time program begins in mid-June and finishes in mid-June the following year. Coursework is completed concurrently with a teaching internship to allow students to explore pedagogies through authentic classroom interactions while being fully supported by field instructors.

The Master of Science in Postsecondary Science Education provides a strong foundation in learning theory and application to support college-level teaching in the sciences. The degree is open only to current doctoral students in the School of Environment and Sustainability and in specific departments in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (Astronomy, Biophysics, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Geological Sciences, Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Physics).