Return to: Department of Educational Policy Studies
Social foundations of education is a broadly conceived field of educational study that derives its character from a number of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary studies. At Georgia State University, the disciplines involved in social foundations inquiry are history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and political science; the interdisciplinary field is cultural studies. The purpose of social foundations study is to bring intellectual resources derived from these areas to bear in developing interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives on education, both inside of and outside of schools. Applicants to the Master of Science program with a major in social foundations of education must, in addition to standard admission requirements, (a) interview with program faculty, (b) submit a writing sample; and (c) submit three letters of recommendation, two of which should represent familiarity with the applicant’s academic ability.
Advisory Committee
A master’s advising committee of three faculty members guides each student’s study for the M.S. degree in Social Foundations of Education in the Department of Educational Policy Studies. One member of the Social Foundations faculty should be selected as the chair of the committee. The students and the chair will select two other members for the committee, at least one of who must be a member of the Social Foundations faculty. The committee is responsible for planning the program of study and for directing master’s thesis research or master’s projects. During the last academic term of coursework, each student will be required to complete an oral examination. The candidate’s committee will administer the examination, which is not to exceed two hours.