Online Master of Arts in Education With a Concentration in Diversity, Equity and Social Justice in Education
Program Highlights
30 credit hours | In-state tuition: $490/credit hour | Out-of-state tuition: $575/credit hour
- Available in an easily accessible 100% online format from UTEP’s College of Education
- Designed for individuals who wish to pursue graduate studies focused on educational equity and prepares them to be change agents in educational policy and practice
- Focuses on diversity and equity in formal and informal educational settings, with a specific emphasis on anti-oppressive theories and pedagogies.
- Can be completed in as little as 16 months with no GRE required
- Available on the Academic Common Market (ACM)*
Note: This program does not provide teaching certification. To obtain a Texas teaching license, you may combine this degree with UTEP’s in-person Alternative Certification Program (48 credits total). Admission to the Alternative Certification Program requires a separate application process.
*If you are a resident in one of the states that participate in the ACM, you MAY qualify for in-state tuition for this program while residing outside of Texas. For more information, you must contact the ACM Coordinator of the state in which you are residing. For contact info by state, please visit https://home.sreb.org/acm/states.aspx/.
Help Implement Transformational Policies in a Growing Field
While societal inequities and oppression of people of color has been a focus in some academic areas for a long time, recent events have renewed questioning about inequality in our society.
This social awakening has produced a growing need for highly trained teacher-leaders and researchers to re-examine, and examine in new ways, how social injustice cuts across various institutions, particularly schooling, and what transformational policies and actions can be implemented to foster a more just and fair nation for all.
The M.A. in Diversity, Equity and Social Justice in Education is ideal for those seeking to address equity and take on leadership roles in a variety of fields, including education (both formal and informal) and in the nonprofit sector (e.g., community-based organizations). It also prepares graduate students who plan to pursue a doctorate in education or the social sciences.
Graduates of this program may decide to work in community-based organizations, research, nonprofits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and public and/or private schools. The job outlook for many careers in related areas is strong per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections for 2019-2029.
Types of positions available to you after graduation include:
- Educational program officer
- Worker in a nonprofit organization or an NGO (non-governmental organization)
- Social and community service manager (2019-2029 projected growth of 17%)
- Educational researcher
- Curriculum developer
- Grant writer
- Educational diversity coordinator
- Instructional coordinator (2019-2029 projected growth of 6%)
- Post-secondary administrator (2019-2029 projected growth of 4%)
- Training and development specialist (2019-2029 projected growth of 9%)
- Education-related public relations and fundraising manager (2019-2029 projected growth of 9%)
- International government organization professional
- Educational policy analyst
- Educational activist
- Educational advocacy coordinator
- Lobbyist
- Academic
Experienced Faculty
"As part of a graduate-level course on diversity and educational settings, which I taught, students in the course were afforded the opportunity to engage in a community-based project with parents from an underserved immigrant community at the U.S.-Mexico border. As a consequence of this experience, students in this course formed new understandings and competencies around partnering with parents to advance educational equity for historically marginalized students and communities." - Christina Convertino, Ph.D., Associate Professor
"[This is from a student]. I wanted to thank you for everything that I learned in these courses. I have been a teacher now for close to 14 years, but in recent years my passion for teaching had waned, and I experienced what I guess you could call teacher burnout. Your courses helped me in many ways. The readings and class discussions introduced me to scholars that not only echoed my beliefs about access to quality education for all students, but also allowed me to articulate these beliefs in an academic setting. Your courses motivated a re-commitment to becoming an advocate for my students and their academic goals. Students who complete the construction management program at UTEP understand the unique challenges and opportunities in our industry...UTEP students consistently demonstrate a strong work ethic, enthusiastic desire to learn, and an eagerness to do what it takes to get the job done." - Tim Cashman, Ph.D., Professor
"I have worked closely with a student (as her professor and dissertation chair) who wasn’t familiar with social justice education when she began the program. Now, she is an assistant professor going up for tenure in an education department that is organized around principles of social justice. She has become a leader in research on using multicultural literature with pre-service teachers, and she is conducting research on LGBTQ+ youth and social media."" - Char Ullman, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Course Overview
Coursework centers on frameworks and strategies that advance equity, diversity, and inclusion to promote social justice education. Through graduate coursework designed to promote critical analysis, reflection, and action, this program prepares students to produce new knowledge that transforms educational practices, programs, and policies.
To earn an MA in Diversity, Equity & Social Justice in Education you must: 1) successfully complete of 30 hours of required coursework with a grade of “C” or better; 2) complete a thesis project and obtain a grade of “pass” in the Thesis II course; and 3) possess a final GPA of 3.0 or higher
Thesis Requirement: The intent of the thesis study is to provide students the opportunity to synthesize and apply core content knowledge gained in the program and to demonstrate their academic and professional understanding through the production of a piece of original scholarship. To graduate from this program, all students must conduct and defend a thesis study and register and pass the Thesis II Course. During the final semester of coursework, students will meet virtually with the Teacher Education Department Graduate Studies Coordinator for an audit and verification of coursework and final GPA, and for verification of completion of the application for graduation with UTEP’s Graduate School office.
MA in DESJE CORE COURSES (12 hours)
TED 5301, TED 5304, SCFE 5303 and SCFE 5305 OR SCFE 5307
| Course # | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TED 5301 | Learning Contexts & Curriculum | Focus on an examination of the theoretical frameworks and broad definitions of curricula, processes of curriculum alignment, pedagogy and assessment, State standards, curricular resources, curriculum integration, learning theory and lesson planning. |
| TED 5304 | Scholarly Writing for Educators | Focus on writing scholarly papers using archival research, documented sources, and electronic databases. Work closely with the professor in your area of study to produce publication quality papers. Study issues of conceptualization, argumentation and evidence, and citation and referencing. Also deal with style, audience, organization, and mechanics; this course relies heavily on peer editing and review. |
| SCFE 5303 | Anti-Oppressive & Anti-Racist Education | Survey major concepts and issues in education in terms of anti-oppressive education, including anti-colonial, anti-racist, queer, and critical pedagogy approaches. Begin with theoretical analyses, then move to practical anti-oppressive pedagogical strategies aimed at change in schools, classrooms, and community settings. By grounding theoretical principles in actual pedagogical practices, this course opens pathways to educational transformation. |
| SCFE 5305 | Critical Race Theory and LatCrit Theory in Education | Focus on the foundational ideas of Critical Race Theory (CRT) from its origins in Critical Legal Studies to its current debates and evolutions in education. Explore LatCrit, which is one of the key branches of CRT. Get oriented to CRT and LatCrit as frameworks for exposing the ways in which power is distributed and exercised in educational settings, as well as understanding the ways in which racism is endemic to society and education. |
| SCFE 5307 | Language, Race and Culture in Education | Explore language, race, and culture as co-constitutive forces that shape identities across a wide variety of contexts and communities. Building on sociolinguistic and anthropological understandings, incorporate the field of raciolinguistics to theorize race and culture through language studies, and examine how the relationship between race and language impacts the domains of education and politics. Consider the ways in which identity hierarchies and inequality more generally are (re)produced in educational spaces. |
DISCIPLINE CORE COURSES (12 hours): Please pick as follows:
- SCFE 5309 Transnational & Postcolonial Feminisms OR SCFE 5311 Ed & Environmental (In)Justice
- SCFE 5313 Critical (Dis)abilities Studies in Ed. OR SCFE 5315 Queer Theory & Pedagogy
- SCFE 5317 Border as Place & Space OR SCFE 5319 Comparative & Transnational Ed
- SCFE 5321 Emancipatory Critical Pedagogy OR SCFE 5323 Freirean Pedagogy & Social Justice OR SCFE 5325 Indigenous Knowledge
| Course # | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SCFE 5309 | Critical (Dis)ability Studies in Education | Explore social theories of (dis)ability that challenge dominant representations of transgressive bodies in society and education. Focusing on how transgressive bodies are typically known and how different interpretive relations can transgress what is said and done to such bodies, theorize disability as a complex and conflicting scene of representation where knowledge production, power relations, and identity formation can be examined and transformed. |
| SCFE 5311 | Education & Environmental (In)Justice | Use critical theories to analyze the intersections of race, class and the environment and how these (re)produce educational inequities in historically marginalized communities. Examine how environmental racism differently impacts educational spaces on the U.S.-Mexico border and the implications for educational access, opportunities and outcomes among diverse fronterizx and transfronterizx students and their communities. Explore policies and efforts that have been successful in redressing educational inequities directly related to environmental racism. |
| SCFE 5313 | Transnational & Postcolonial Feminisms in Education | Focus on transnational and postcolonial feminist theory as it relates to education and pedagogy, with particular emphasis on decolonizing theory, methods, and knowledge in educational settings both formal and informal. Examine feminist scholarship that speaks to debates on transnationalism, postcolonialism, and globalization, engaging in contemporary debates around sexuality, nationalism, racism and casteism in education. |
| SCFE 5315 | Queer Theory & Pedagogy | Critically explore queer theory, followed by queer bodies, and then delve into queer pedagogy. Focus on political, epistemological, theoretical, and pedagogical concerns as they speak to queer studies in education. |
| SCFE 5317 | Border as Place & Space: Pedagogies, Theories and Practices | Analyze place-based pedagogies and educational spaces in transnational contexts, including perceived theoretical, historical, geographic, and philosophical borders. Explore place-based and space-based education as interdisciplinary and serving as the foundation for understanding and engaging in local, regional, national, and global issues. Focus on transgressing previously accepted boundaries in order to live and work sustainably in your own communities. |
| SCFE 5319 | Comparative & Transnational Education | Get an overview of the development of comparative and transnational education, including major concepts and current trends in this area. Examine how historical, geographic, economic, social, political, and cultural forces impact educational systems. “Cross borders” to apply theoretical approaches to issues in education. |
| SCFE 5321 | Emancipatory Critical Pedagogy | Dialectically construct knowledge related to emancipatory critical pedagogies. Promote the identification of oppressive hegemonic social structures that produce alienation and the rethinking of educational praxis embedded in possibilities of inclusion that reinvent education as transformational rather than a transmission of knowledge. High priority is given to the development of critical thinking and the reinvention of democratic alternatives in order to facilitate the study of educational issues with a well-informed critical eye. |
| SCFE 5323 |
Freirean Pedagogy & Social Justice |
Explore Freirean pedagogy as a source of inspiration for anti-oppressive and revolutionary teaching around the world. Examine the possibilities and limitations of Freirean pedagogy for helping people name and change social and educational realities premised upon injustices. Look at the work of those who apply, extend, and critique the Freirean perspective and get a unique transdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary approach that promotes social justice and the science of wellbeing—which are based on better distribution of resources. |
| SCFE 5325 | Indigenous Knowledge | Explore Indigenous studies and research, Indigenous knowledge systems, Indigenous education and pedagogy, Indigenous sustainability and Indigenous languages and revitalization. Explore the intersection of indigenous knowledge with globalization and modernity, in order to deconstruct euro-centric notions of knowledge “production” in curriculum development. Examine modern-day indigenous struggles and events shaping schooling and policy making in the U.S. and the Borderlands, focusing on re-constructing and re-creating awareness of indigenous identities in education. |
| TED 5398 |
Thesis I: Critical Interpretive Methodologies of Social Inquiry |
Be introduced to techniques for studying oral and written discourse as a means for critically interrogating policies and practices to transform educational spaces. Use approaches such as Critical Discourse Analysis and Testimonio methodologies to practice these research approaches and design an initial research plan in preparation for use in thesis study. (Pre-requisite: Permission of Thesis Chairperson during first semester of thesis work and should be taken only once). |
|---|---|---|
| TED 5399 | Thesis II: Transformational Practices for Educational Equity | Take advantage of the opportunity to synthesize and apply core content knowledge gained throughout your course of study with this course which is the culminating experience of this program. Demonstrate academic and professional skill development through the completion and defense of an original piece of scholarship. Earning a grade of “pass” in the thesis course is a degree requirement for graduation. Pre-requisite: Permission of Thesis Chairperson. Must be taken in all subsequent semesters during Thesis work after TED 5398. |
