Education Policy and Leadership (EPoL) Master of Science

EPoL is a flagship program within the Education Studies department. A one year (12-month), cohort-based program located in beautiful Eugene, Oregon, EPoL combines:

• Theoretical grounding in education policy and leadership studies
• Advanced methodological and analytic training with a focus on quantitative methods
• Applied and practical knowledge in US education policy, evidence-based decision-making, organizational leadership, and policy-making processes
• And space for students to carve out their own unique areas of substantive and methodological expertise

While the program is designed to be completed in one year, students can select to spread it out over two years, for example if they want to continue working in their current jobs while pursuing the master’s degree. Presence on campus will be required though students will have options for some on-line coursework should they choose to do so. 

The EPoL program starts in summer term and ends in spring term, running from July to June. 

Rigorous methodological and analytic training. EPoL students develop quantitative research methods and policy analysis skills. Students do not need to have any background in quantitative methods before joining the program. Students with little background in quantitative methods will learn about research design in education and the social sciences, and statistical analyses up through regression analysis. Students who enter the program with quantitative or statistical backgrounds can bypass introductory courses and go straight into our more advanced courses to develop skills in experimental and quasi-experimental methods, hierarchical linear modeling, etc. The culmination of the EPoL program is an applied research project that each student carries out in the spring Capstone course.

Advanced topics in education policy or education leadership. Based on students’ individual interests and career goals, students will enroll in more advanced topics in either education policy, education leadership, or both. Advanced policy classes include classes on policy analysis, state and local policy, and topic areas of education policy such as policy for multilingual students or higher education policy. Advanced leadership classes include classes on learning organizations, equity-focused leadership, and nonprofit leadership.

Self-selected elective courses for a deep dive into your area of interest. Students in the EPoL MS take a set of elective courses based on their individual areas of focus in the program. While we have a wide range of elective courses within the Education Studies department, students can also take classes from other departments across the university. Many students will choose to take classes in political science, economics, sociology, and ethnic studies. Students will work with their advisor to craft a coherent plan for their elective courses. In addition to our world-renowned faculty, EPoL students have the opportunity to take elective courses with senior UO leaders including courses on education law and higher education leadership.

Optional data science specialization. Students who are interested in data science can opt into an optional 5-course sequence in data science and receive a specialization in addition to their master’s degree. These courses include courses on educational data science, data visualization, functional programming, machine learning, and a data science capstone class. Currently, because students can only take one data science class per term, students who wish to pursue the data science specialization should plan to extend their program across 1.5 to two years.

If you are interested in becoming a public school principal, or a similar position that requires an administrative licensure, you may want to pair this master’s degree program with an administrative licensure program. The EPoL graduate program does not award an administrative licensure.

EPoL Program Requirements

The master’s degree requires a minimum total of 45 credits.
(If this is your second UO master’s degree, you will only be required to take a total of 30 credits).

Summer term – Total credits: 9

Fall term – Total credits: 12

Winter term – Total credits: 12

 Spring term – Total credits: 12

Electives 

Students will select electives that meet their unique interests and career goals. Working with their advisor, students can select electives from within the EPoL program, within other departments and programs in the College of Education, or anywhere across the University of Oregon. The following is a partial list of electives just to give you a sense of the kinds of classes we offer in EPoL and the College of Education. Keep in mind that at least 30 of EPoL’s 45 credits must be taken in the EPoL major in Education Studies (identified as having either the EDLD, EDUC, or EDST prefix).

EPoL Electives (including but not limited to): 

EC 523: Econometrics
EDLD 610: Qualitative Data and Coding
EDLD 624: Leading For Equity
EDLD 640: Educational Data Science Capstone Project
EDLD 643: Evidence-Based Decision Making
EDLD 644: Learning Organizations
EDLD 651: Introduction to Educational Data Science
EDLD 652: Data Visualization for Educational Data Science
EDLD 653: Functional Programming for Educational Data Science
EDLD 654: Machine Learning for Educational Data Science
EDLD 675: Oregon School and District Finance
EDST 555: Heteronormativity Education
EDST 556: Decolonization and Education
EDST 614: Cultural Context Of Education
EDST 661: Reprod to Resistance
EDST 663: Education and Immigration
EDST 667: Grant Writing
EDST 691: Education Policy for Multilingual Students
EDST 697: Higher Education Policy
EDST 698: Education Law
EDST 699: Higher Education Leadership
EDUC 610: Qualitative Data and Coding
EDUC 610L/645: Applied Stats III
EDUC 620: Program Evaluation I
EDUC 621: Program Evaluation II
EDUC 630: Qual I
EDUC 631: Qual II
PPPM 525: Project Management
PPPM 526: Strategic Plan Mgmt
PPPM 560: Health Policy
PPPM 565: Program Evaluation
PPPM 581: Fundraising Nonprofit
PREV 635: Prevention and Policy
SOC 552: Topics Issues of Migration
SOC 565: Political Sociology
SOC 613: Advanced Sociological Methods
SOC: 545: Topics in Soc of Race and Ethnicity
SPED 518: Disrupting School-to-Prison Pipeline
SPED 622: History of SPED and Disability