Cultural Foundations of Education, M.S.

Analyze, question, and challenge the forces that shape education.

The structures, policies, and assumptions that determine educational outcomes have deep historical, cultural, and political roots. The M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Education gives you the knowledge to understand who thrives, who gets left behind, and why—and the analytical tools to act on what you discover.

Priority Application Deadline: January 15/October 1 depending on semester start | More admissions information

Why Cultural Foundations of Education at Syracuse?

This graduate program is for professionals and scholars who want to examine education as a social and political institution: who it serves, who it excludes, and what it takes to make change.

• Depth across the foundations of education. Students develop expertise across the history, philosophy, economics, culture, and sociology of education, with particular depth in disability studies, inclusion and equity, and the practice of facilitating transformation across difference.
• A program built around you. Each program of study is individually designed in collaboration with your faculty advisor, allowing you to build coursework around your research interests, professional goals, and the questions that matter most to you.
• Faculty at the forefront of education research. Courses are taught by faculty who are active researchers as well as teachers, bringing current scholarship directly into your preparation. Syracuse is an R1 research institution, and our faculty have received recognition for teaching excellence and are leaders in national and international professional organizations.
• Study as a global citizen. Syracuse University is ranked among the top 10 study abroad providers in the United States. CFE students have access to SOE signature programs in Italy, Africa, and beyond. Supplemental funding is available for qualified students.
• A pathway into disability law and policy. SOE and the Syracuse University College of Law offer a joint three-year J.D./M.S./C.A.S. program combining legal training with deep expertise in disability studies. Students interested in disability law and policy apply through and complete their first year in the College of Law before joining the CFE program.

“The School of Education is a place where I feel supported, challenged, and encouraged to grow. Classes have encouraged me to think critically, ask questions, and connect ideas, and I have been able to explore my research interests, collaborate with faculty members, and present in academic conferences. One of my favorite parts of SOE is the community among graduate students. We learn together, write together, and support each other.”
—Min Paing Moe G’24

Who Should Apply?

Students come to CFE from a wide range of backgrounds and professional contexts. Some are preparing for doctoral study in education, disability studies, ethnic studies, or related fields. Others are mid-career professionals seeking a rigorous analytical framework for work they are already doing.

What they share is an intellectual curiosity about the forces shaping education, a commitment to equity, and an interest in education as a site of social and political consequence. They leave equipped to act on that understanding.

Program at a Glance

• Built around your research interests and professional goals. The M.S. in Cultural Foundations of Education requires either 30 credits and an intensive exam or 24 credits and a thesis. All students complete the foundational course, Introduction to Qualitative Inquiry, with the remaining coursework individually designed in collaboration with a faculty advisor.
• Unmatched depth in disability studies. Syracuse’s program offers one of the deepest concentrations in disability studies available in any comparable master’s program in the United States, taught by faculty whose research defines the field nationally. CFE students can earn the Certificate of Advanced Study in Disability Studies within their existing 30 credits at no additional tuition cost – something unique to Syracuse.
• Facilitation, conflict resolution, and coalition leadership. CFE students have the opportunity to develop a structured, professionally recognized set of skills in facilitating dialogue across difference, navigating institutional conflict, and building coalitions in complex organizational settings. These competencies – grounded in Intergroup Dialogue, a facilitation methodology with decades of development at Syracuse – are directly applicable in advocacy, equity and inclusion leadership, higher education administration, and policy environments. They are rare, transferable, and increasingly in demand.
• Inclusion, equity, and educational systems. Students examine how educational systems are designed, who they serve well, and where they fall short, and they develop the analytical tools to understand why. This framework prepares graduates to advocate for more inclusive and equitable learning environments across a range of professional contexts, from policy and advocacy to institutional leadership.
• Global and transnational perspectives on education. CFE addresses education through a global lens, situating international schooling within histories of colonization and global power and exploring the cultural and political dimensions of belonging and displacement. This perspective gives graduates an understanding of how global forces shape local educational systems, an asset for professionals working in diverse communities, international organizations, or policy environments shaped by cross-cultural exchange and human mobility.

More information on academic requirements available in the Syracuse University Course Catalog.

What Our Graduates Do

Cultural Foundations of Education graduates work across a range of sectors where the ability to understand, analyze, and advocate around educational systems is directly relevant to the job:

• Policy and advocacy: Government agencies, advocacy organizations, think tanks, and legislative and policymaking offices at state and federal level, where analytical depth and the ability to communicate across difference are core professional requirements.
• National and international philanthropy, nonprofits, and NGOs: School- and community-based programs, as well as development, disability justice, and social change, a sector projected to grow 6% through 2034 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• Higher education administration: Equity and inclusion offices; student affairs; academic affairs; and institutional policy roles that require both theoretical grounding and practical facilitation skills.
• Conflict resolution and restorative practice: Mediation programs, restorative justice initiatives, and community-based conflict resolution organizations, where the ability to facilitate dialogue across difference and build consensus in complex settings is the core professional competency.
• Corporate training and development: Equity-focused professional development and organizational learning, one of the fastest-growing areas in the US labor market, projected to grow 11% through 2034 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• K-12 educational systems: Equity leadership, curriculum, and administrative roles for professionals already working in the sector who want deeper analytical tools and a path to leadership.
• Doctoral study: This master’s degree is a pathway to doctoral programs in education, disability studies, ethnic studies, and related fields.