Department of Education

Program Overview

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Program Overview

Both inside and outside the classroom, students receive top-notch preparation for careers in policy, research, or consulting.

UEP Students develop key skills and competencies in three main areas:
 

  • Understanding Urban Education Policy, Politics, and Community Contexts
    Students will learn how the urban school system works, how policies are designed and implemented, how decisions are made, the extent to which the community is engaged in decision making, and emerging ideas and models for organizing schools and systems to improve schooling opportunities for diverse student populations.
  • Building Quantitative Analytical Skills and Reasoning
    Students will develop the skills to collect, analyze, and use quantitative data to make decisions and inform policy.
  • Gaining Practical Skills for Reflective and Reflexive Policy Work
    Students will conduct in-depth, high-quality internship projects with organizations in Providence and other urban communities. Internship projects, embedded in two courses that provide practical skill-building and reflection, serve the needs of policy organizations and offer an opportunity for students to integrate academic learning and field experiences.

UEP Program Handbook
 

The application deadline for 2023 entry was January 17, 2023. The application portal will reopen in early September 2023 for the next admissions cycle.

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Academic Coursework

The UEP program is an intensive 12 month cohort program, running from June to May. Students take most classes together, building a strong and supportive community.  Students take nine courses, including 8 required core courses, 1 elective course, and a 9-month internship experience.  

The required core classes include:

Summer

  • EDUC 2320 — Quantitative Research Methods and Data Analysis
  • EDUC 2330 — Urban Education Policy: System and Governance

Fall

  • EDUC 2385 — Education Inequality and Community Assets
  • EDUC 2360 — Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation for Education
  • EDUC 2367 — Strategic Management of School Organizations

Spring

  • EDUC 2350 — Economic Analysis in Urban Education Policy
  • EDUC 2390 — Race and Democracy in Urban Education Policy
  • EDUC 2380 — Internship (course component to the 9-month UEP internship)

Electives

In addition to the eight required courses, students can select one approved elective in order to gain greater depth in a core area (e.g., research methods, urban politics) or to broaden their experience in areas that are related to, but not directly covered by, core courses (e.g., organizational theory, public finance).  Students can take an elective course in Education, Public Policy, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Urban Studies, Ethnic Studies, or any number of other departments and programs on campus.

Internships

The nine-month internship, which runs concurrently with the academic year at Brown, is a key feature of the program, integrating research and theory with hands-on policy experience.  In this internship and allied coursework, students gain practical skills and experience with working in an organization to effect change. They develop a project to meet needs of the organization.        

Students work with program faculty to select internship sites and projects.  These sites might include:   

A list of previous internships

https://www.youtube.com/embed/kQLx069hUWk

Professor Kenneth Wong on Brown's Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy