BS in Education & Human Development/MA in Educational Policy Studies

The combined BS/MA degree program is designed for academically motivated Wheelock undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in child and education policy in less time than it would take to pursue both degrees independently. After obtaining a broad foundation in education and human development at the undergraduate level, master’s students will learn how to conduct rigorous research, analyze data, and make informed decisions about policies that affect children and families from preschool through young adulthood. Students will be trained in research methods and will engage in a research apprenticeship under the direction of a faculty member. Upon completion of the combined degree program, students will also be prepared to enter PhD programs in education and in the social sciences.

The combined degree program requires a minimum of 152 units. (There are 128 units required of the baccalaureate degree and an additional 32 units required to fulfill the master’s degree, but combined degree candidates may count 8 units from the undergraduate degree toward the MA).

Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Programs are linked bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in which the two degrees are conferred sequentially. This Bachelor’s-to-Master’s program allows students to apply a maximum of 8 units from their undergraduate degree toward the associated master’s degree. The units applied toward the master’s degree must be at the 500 level or above. Students will work with their academic advisors, in consultation with the Undergraduate Program Director, to determine which courses to take. These courses must be selected from the list of courses required for the EdM. Since students’ academic profiles differ, these decisions will be made in collaboration with faculty advisors.

Students must apply to Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Programs before the conferral of the bachelor’s degree. Typically, students apply to this Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program by the end of their sophomore year. Students who have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better by the end of their sophomore year or their fourth term of study will be invited to apply to the combined degree program. Students in this Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program must complete at least 24 units while enrolled as a graduate student.

Students should consult with the Financial Assistance office to learn how entrance into the Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program might impact their financial aid.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• Develop disciplinary knowledge of historical and contemporary theories, research, and practices in education and applied developmental psychology.
• Apply an ecological model of development to children and families by considering their psychological, social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and cultural needs.
• Develop policy recommendations for complicated, real-world problems facing youth and families in Boston, in neighboring communities, and beyond.
• Design and implement a community-based research project within the city of Boston that has a positive impact on a school, health organization, neighborhood, museum, or community-based organization.
• Build knowledge and develop anti-oppressive practices to disrupt unequal systems of power, privilege, and access for children and families through coursework focused on self (positionality, intersectionality).
• Use design-based thinking and learning principles to help create effective solutions to social problems that affect children and families.
• Represent BU Wheelock’s equity and access mission when working with or on behalf of children and families in field-based learning experiences and research-related internships.
• Study the history, language, education, and culture of the Deaf community in the United States.
• Understand how policies are formed, implemented, and evaluated.
• Analyze and discuss the effects of existing educational policies (federal, state, local) on important outcomes of interest (e.g., student achievement, graduation rates, teacher retention, program/school quality)
• Prepare and analyze data for quantitative and qualitative statistical analyses.
• Conduct research independently on education and/or child policy topics using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Disseminate research results to multiple audiences, including policymakers, academics, and the public.

BU Hub Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Education & Human Development will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy BU Hub requirements with a unit in Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation, most units in Scientific and Social Inquiry, most units in Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship, most units in Communication, and most units in the Intellectual Toolkit.

Required Coursework

BS in Education & Human Development (80, 82, or 84 units)

Core Courses

Courses	Hub Requirements	Hub Areas	Units
WED CE 342 Anti-Oppressive Practice: Education & Applied Psychology	1 requirement each in:	Ethical Reasoning Teamwork/Collaboration	4 units
WED ED 120 Exploring Professions That Impact Lives I			4 units
WED ED 121 Exploring Professions Field Seminar I			2 units
WED ED 130 Exploring Professions That Impact Lives II			4 units
WED ED 131 Exploring Professions Field Seminar II			2 units
WED ED 220 Theme-Based Approaches to Studying Complex Issues of Language in Education and Human Development	1 requirement each in:	Writing Intensive Ethical Reasoning Critical Thinking	4 units
WED ED 230 Introduction to Design as Educational Inquiry			4 units
WED ED 431 Child Policy	1 requirement each in:	Writing Intensive Social Inquiry II Critical Thinking	4 units
WED HD 120 Life Design 1: Developing Your Personal Brand	1 requirement in:	Creativity/Innovation	2 units
WED HD 121 Life Design 2: Launching Your Personal Brand	1 requirement in:	Digital/Multimedia Expression	2 units
WED HD 265 Social Science Research for Community Impact	1 requirement each in:	Oral and/or Signed Communication Social Inquiry II Teamwork/Collaboration	4 units
WED HD 306 Introduction to Human Development	1 requirement each in:	Social Inquiry I Research & Informational Literacy	4 units
Core Unit Total			40 units

Signature Courses

Courses	Hub Requirements	Hub Areas	Units
WED DE 300 Introduction to the Deaf World	1 requirement each in:	Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration	4 units
WED ED 200 Introduction to Justice Based Education	1 requirement each in:	Writing Intensive The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry & Life’s Meanings	4 units
WED ED 300 Learning as a Cultural Process			4 units
WED YJ 360 Positive Youth Development	1 requirement each in:	Oral and/or Signed Communication Social Inquiry I	4 units
Signature Unit Total			16 units

Specialization Courses

Students select one of five specializations:

Hub Courses and Elective Courses (44–48 units)

MA in Educational Policy Studies (32 units)

Core Courses (22 units)

Courses	Units
WED AP 600 Diversity and Justice in Education	4 units
WED AP 635 Public Policy for Research	2 units
WED AP 753 Educational Policy	4 units
WED RS 652 Qualitative Research Methods	4 units
WED RS 653 Quantitative Research Methods (Students are additionally highly encouraged to attend a free, four-day workshop on statistics the week prior to the start of the degree program in the fall; this workshop will help prepare students for this course and for other required research offerings in this program.)	4 units
Students select from one of two options in advanced research methods:
WED RS 752 Seminar in Qualitative Research	4 units
WED RS 753 Causal Design in Education Research	4 units

Elective Coursework (8 units)

Students select two graduate-level courses (equivalent to 8 units) on content related to: research methods, education, human development, and/or policymaking. One course may be taken outside of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Students should consult with their academic advisors.

Research Apprenticeship (2 units)

(Arranged with a faculty member or a partner organization focused on a policy-relevant issue; research is conducted in the spring term, culminating in a research project/capstone presentation):

• WED RS 699 Research Apprenticeship