Back to Education Policy & Social Analysis
The sociological examination of education has a long tradition at Teachers College, a graduate school with a strong commitment to social justice. Our Sociology and Education program, one of the oldest and most revered such programs in the nation, provides a curriculum that centers on the examination of educational and social inequality as it prepares graduate students to analyze evidence of its sources.
The curriculum emphasizes the social context of schools in both cities and suburbs; the organization and structure of schooling; and the intersection of race, ethnicity, social class and gender with educational policies and practices. Students are trained in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Hands-on research opportunities are available on a wide range of projects, including those examining racial segregation, urban gentrification, conditions of New York City Public Schools, and school organization.
The program faculty for the Sociology and Education Program includes sociologists from several other programs at the College as well as other nearby academic institutions. Faculty strengths are in sociology of education generally, but also in organizational studies, the sociology of teachers and teaching, stratification, racial inequality, critical race theory and urban sociology. They are actively engaged in the analysis and evaluation of educational policies and programs designed to serve educationally disadvantaged populations.
Come to our program to find your sociological imagination and apply that deep understanding of the connection between day-to-day experiences and the wider social context of schools to meaningful change in the field of education. Our program prepares change agents to challenge the inequality within our schools through a deep understanding of its social, political and economic causes.
The program in Sociology and Education also offers a specialization in Educational Policy for students in the M.A. and Ed.M. programs. For more information on this concentration, which is open to students throughout Teachers College, please contact Professor Amy Stuart Wells.
Degree Programs
The graduate program in Sociology and Education offers four degree programs: the M.A., the Ed.M., the Ed.D., and the Ph.D. Each program is designed to meet the needs of students with a particular combination of prior experience and career objectives. The M.A., Ed.M., and Ed.D. programs may be completed on a part-time basis with classes offered in the evening hours. The Ph.D. program requires full-time study. Although students from all of the degree programs in sociology and education are prepared to assume positions in education institutions, the program does not offer professional certification for teaching or school/district leadership. Certification programs are available in other departments at Teachers College.
Master of Arts
The Master of Arts program in sociology and education provides an introduction to the application of sociological perspectives to contemporary education issues. The program provides coverage of the core principles and methods of sociology as they are applied to research and analysis. An optional Policy Concentration enables students to focus more closely on the design and effects of education policies. Students completing this program are prepared to assume positions as general analysts in a variety of organizations devoted to applied educational research, policy making, advocacy, consulting, and direct educational service.
Master of Education
The Master of Education in sociology and education is an advanced master’s degree typically pursued by students who already possess a master’s degree in a substantive area of education or by students without a prior master’s degree who want an opportunity to combine study in sociology and education with another area in education. The program involves study of sociological perspectives and methods in the context of contemporary education issues. Through an optional Policy Concentration, students can examine a variety of education policy questions in more depth. Current substantive areas that can be combined with study in sociology and policy include evaluation and institutional analysis, human development, technology, curriculum, administration, and foundations. Students completing this program are prepared to assume positions as specialists in a variety of organizations devoted to applied educational research, policy making, advocacy, consulting, and management of educational activities.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.) program is designed for students with a strong background and interest in the discipline of sociology and its application to education. The Ph.D. is a highly specialized degree that requires full-time study and substantial coursework to be done at Teachers College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University, or through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium, which provides for cross-registration among member institutions. Students completing this program are prepared to assume positions in college and university programs focused on sociological research in the field of education.
Doctor of Education
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program is designed to provide broad training in the social sciences, education, and education policy. The program prepares students for positions in teaching, research, and policy through interdisciplinary study grounded in the sociological perspective. All coursework is available at Teachers College, and both part-time and full-time study is possible. Students completing this program are prepared to assume positions in college and university programs in education as well as leadership positions in a variety of organizations devoted to applied education research, policy making, advocacy, consulting, and management of educational activities.
Points/Credits: 33
Entry Terms: Summer/Fall
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts Degree in the Program in Sociology and Education – minimum of 33 points
Requirements for the M.A. program without the education policy option:
I. Core Courses (minimum 15 points)
A. Foundational Coursework in Social Analysis of Education (6 points)
B. Education and Social Inequality (minimum 3 points)
C. Education and Social Organization (minimum 3 points)
D. Education and Social Change (minimum 3 points)
II. Research Methods (9 points)
A. Quantitative Research Methods (3 points)
B. Qualitative Research Methods (3 points)
C. Advanced Research Methods (3 points)
III. Electives/Concentration (6-9 points)
IV. Culminating Integrative Experience (0-3 points)
Master’s comprehensive examination (0), or
Master’s integrative project and EDPS 6021 Master’s Integrative Project in Sociology and Education (1 point in the fall and 2 points in the spring, for a total of 3 points)
Additional requirements for the M.A. program with the policy concentration:
Choose one course from each of the following four categories:
I. Foundational Studies in Education Policy
II. Policy Analysis
III. Program Evaluation
IV. Topics in Education and Social Policy
*Please note that all master's students must complete a culminating experience.
Points/Credits: 60
Entry Terms: Summer/Fall
Degree Requirements
Ed.M. Degree in the Program in Sociology and Education – minimum of 60 points
Requirements for the Ed.M. program without the education policy option:
I. Core Courses (Minimum of 15 points)
A. Foundational Coursework in Social Analysis of Education (minimum 6 points)
B. Education and Social Inequality (minimum 3 points)
C. Education and Social Organization (minimum 3 points)
D. Education and Social Change (minimum 3 points)
II. Research Methods (12 points)
A. Quantitative Research Methods (6 points)
B. Qualitative Research Methods (3 points)
C. Advanced Research Methods (3 points)
III. Electives/Concentration (30-33 points)
IV. Culminating Integrative Experience (0-3 points)
Master’s comprehensive examination (0), or
Master’s integrative project and EDPS 6021 Master’s Integrative Project in Sociology and Education (1 point in the fall and 2 points in the spring, for a total of 3 points)
Additional requirements for the Ed.M. program with the policy concentration:
Choose one course from each of the following four categories:
I. Foundational Studies in Education Policy
II. Policy Analysis
III. Program Evaluation
IV. Topics in Education and Social Policy
*Please note that all master's students must complete a culminating experience.
Points/Credits: 90
Entry Terms: Fall Only
Degree Requirements
The coursework for the Ed.D., which totals a minimum of 90 points, has seven components: basic social research design and methods, advanced social research design and methods, social theory, core coursework in the sociology of education, seminars and colloquia, coursework in the social context of teaching and learning, and elective courses. All of the required coursework is offered at Teachers College.
Basic social research design and methods (12 points) involves coursework in research design, probability and statistics, applied regression analysis, and qualitative research methods. Courses in advanced social research design and methods (minimum 6 points) build on these basic courses in the quantitative and/ or qualitative domains. Social theory courses (3 points) draw from sociology and other social sciences. Ed.D. students also pursue a minimum of 15 points in core classes in the sociology of education and 6 points in seminars and colloquia designed to prepare students for dissertation research. The balance of the 90-point minimum is earned through elective courses selected in collaboration with the student's advisor.
Policy Studies Concentration in the Sociology and Education Program is available.
Points/Credits: 75
Entry Terms: Fall Only
Degree Requirements
The coursework for the Ph.D., which totals a minimum of 75 points, has seven components: social theory, basic social research design and methods, advanced social research design and methods, foundational coursework in sociology, core coursework in the sociology of education, seminars and colloquia, and elective courses. The required coursework is offered at Teachers College and in the Sociology Department in Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. With advisor permission, students may pursue courses in other professional schools at the University or through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium.
(Please refer to the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium section of this bulletin for participating schools.)
Social theory (6 points) includes coursework in classical and contemporary sociological theory.
Basic social research design and methods (12 points) involves coursework in research design, probability and statistics, applied regression analysis, and qualitative research methods. Courses in advanced social research design and methods (minimum 6 points) build on these basic courses in the quantitative and/ or qualitative domains. Students also enroll in at least one 3-point course offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia or a Consortium institution in each of the areas of social stratification/ inequality, social organization, and social change.
Ph.D. students also pursue a minimum of 12 points in core classes in the sociology of education and 6 points in seminars and colloquia designed to prepare students for dissertation research. The balance of the 75-point minimum is earned through elective courses selected in collaboration with the student’s advisor.
Policy Studies Concentration in the Sociology and Education Program is available.
Points/Credits: 10
Entry Terms: Summer Only
Degree Requirements
The Teachers College, Columbia University Reimagining Education for a Racially Just Society Advanced Certificate Program provides foundational skills and strategies for educators, policy makers and advocates to foster racial equality in schools. This 10-credit program provides flexible professional development while serving as a bridge to further graduate education, including a Master of Education or a doctoral degree program. The coursework is designed and taught by Teachers College faculty—leading experts on a wide array of issues related to racism within the field of education—from multiple departments who will share their unique multidisciplinary expertise.
Program Coursework
Summer Course
Three Credits: In person, as part of the four-day Reimagining Education Summer Institute (choose one)
Reimagining Education for Teaching and Learning in Diverse Schools
Reimagining Education: Equity, Race, and Pedagogical Practices
Reimagining Education for Social Change: Public Pedagogy in the Digital Age
Fall Course
Three Credits: Online
Understanding Race Education: From Racial Hierarchy to Racial Literacy
Spring Course
Three Credits: Online
Anti-Racist Curriculum, Pedagogy, Leadership and Policy
Summer Course
One Credit: Online or in person
Capstone Project*
*Upon completion, participants are encouraged to attend and present their work at the Reimagining Education Summer Institute at no cost.