The Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies at UWM provides students with a deeper understanding of education and community contexts in urban areas. Our degree programs help those working in schools and the community address the social and political contexts of their jobs and provide a range of skills for better addressing challenges. The department offers:

  • A Bachelor of Science in Community Engagement and Education (CEED)
  • An MS in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education

Students often develop their own creative programs out of our range of course options, while others focus their coursework in one of the following areas:

  • Alternative Education/Students Placed At Risk
  • Child Care (Educator or Administrator Track)
  • Community Engagement and Social Change
  • Policy and Leadership in Community-Based Organizations
  • Race Relations
  • Urban Education
  • Youth Work

Program Highlights

  • Available fully online or face-to-face, or in combination
  • Courses offered in the evening, daytime, weekend, hybrid, and starting mid-semester
  • BS in Community Engagement and Education:
    • Students can earn up to 42 lower-division credits for prior professional educational experience,
    • 90-credit major (120 credits in the degree), and
    • Accepts many courses from associate's degree that might not otherwise transfer, as well as transcripted military credits and others
  • MS in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education:
    • 30-credit MS program, and
    • MS students can transfer in up to 6 graduate credits from regionally accredited institutions
  • Currently licensed teachers may seek a supplemental DPI certification in Alternative Education by completing ED POL 534 and ED POL 535 and meeting additional admission and certification requirements.   

Careers

Students and graduates from our programs are employed by schools, community-based organizations, charities, hospitals, and local government units in metropolitan Milwaukee and beyond. Graduates will encounter many alumni across Wisconsin who recognize and value the knowledge gained by students in the program. The Department does not offer licensure for teaching in K-12 public schools, but many graduates either seek post-baccalaureate certification or teach in private schools.

For more information about careers, go to the BS and MS program webpages, and click on the “Careers” tab for a list of actual jobs held by graduates, or click on the “Alumni” tab for stories and videos about our graduates’ experiences in the program and after graduation.

Specifics About the Different Degree Programs

In the CEED BS program, students can select one of three optional submajors: Child Care, Community-Based Organizations Policy and Leadership, or Child and Family Services. Students may also pursue certificates in Community Engagement Strategies, Community-Based Organizations & Leadership, and Youth Work. Visit the CEED BS program website for additional information.

The department’s MS program in Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education engages students in sociological, historical, philosophical and other frames of reference for understanding urban community and school challenges. Students often select courses that focus their studies in a particular area, and many of the same focus areas that are available in the CEED BS program can be pursued at a more advanced level in our MS program. Licensed teachers may seek an add-on state DPI certification in Alternative Education. Visit the master’s degree program website for additional information.

A Highly Diverse Student Body

Students in the department come from a range of educational and community-based backgrounds. Our students and alumni include state and local elected officials; community organizers and developers; personnel in human resource institutions (including program planners, outreach workers, and administrators); teachers, directors, and owners of community day care programs; youth workers in community and group home care; teachers and directors of alternative schools; and directors of community-based organizations.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Community Engagement and Education is also available as a second degree option. 

Programs

Educational Policy and Community Studies Courses

NameRankDegreeSchoolGraduate FacultyEmeritus Faculty
Michael Bonds Associate Professor PhD University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee No Yes
Edgar Epps Professor PhD No Yes
Raquel Farmer-Hinton Professor PhD University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Yes No
Walter Farrell Professor PhD No Yes
Ian Harris Professor EdD No Yes
Florence Johnson Senior Lecturer PhD University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee No No
Julie Kailin Associate Professor PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison No Yes
Ronald Podeschi Professor PhD No Yes
Kalyani Rai Associate Professor PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison Yes No
Aaron Schutz Professor PhD University of Michigan Yes No
Rajeswari Swaminathan Professor PhD Syracuse University Yes No
Javier Tapia Associate Professor PhD University of Arizona Yes No
Aaria Troiano Senior Lecturer PhD University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee No No
Gary Williams Associate Professor PhD University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee No Yes