Graduate Certificate in Urban & Community Education
About the Program
This graduate certificate will afford participants with a deep understanding of urban residents’ experiences of education and community outreach for the purpose of equipping them with critical skills for creating strong partnerships between schools, families, businesses, governmental entities, and communities. Through a dedicated focus on education policy; the history of urban education; current trends in school reform theory, practice, and data-driven decision-making; and program development, participants will earn an applied academic credential focused on school and community engagement in urban settings. This training will be particularly useful for career enhancement opportunities in non-profit organizations, governmental relations, and administration of public entities, as well as enhancing grant-writing activities and the development of applied research agendas.
Student Profile
The certificate will be available to students enrolled at LSU and to non-traditional students desiring additional training working with community organizations in urban education settings.
Admission Requirements
Students applying for the certificate must meet the following requirements:
- a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 hours of undergraduate work or a minimum of a 3.0 GPA on all previous graduate work
- a personal statement of interest in the areas of Urban & Community Education (1,000 words or less). You may address how you became interested in working in these areas, your experience with urban and/ or community engagement, and what you hope to learn in this program.
Required Coursework
ELRC 4249 Understanding and Applying Research in Education (3)
SOCL 7201 Fundamental Statistics in Sociology (3)
or equivalent
EDCI 7901 Curriculum Theory (3)
EDCI 7903 Curriculum Planning (3)
EDCI 7304 Critical Race Theory and Education (3)
EDCI 7305 Community and Urban Education (3)
EDCI 7306 Poverty in American Schools and Communities (3)
ENGL 7222 Topics in Literacy Studies (3)
LHRD 7025 Advanced Adult Learning Theory and Practice (3)
LHRD 7801 Current Problems and Issues in Leadership & Human Resource Development (3)
SOCL 4331 Social Stratification (3)
or equivalent
EDCI 7304 Critical Race Theory and Education (3)
EDCI 7306 Poverty in American Schools and Communities (3)
EDCI 7824 Elementary School Curriculum (3)
EDCI 7825 Secondary School Curriculum (3)
EDCI 7921 Analysis of Research in Curriculum and Instruction (3)
ELRC 7393 Multicultural Counseling (3)
ELRC 7600 Issues of Race and Gender in Higher Education (3)
ELRC 7601 Foundations of Higher Education (3)
LHRD 4025 Principles of Adult Education (3)
SOCL 4461 Criminology (3)
SOCL 4701 Population (3)
SOCL 7491 Seminar: Topics in Social Institutions (3)
SOCL 7591 Seminar: Topics in Social Issues (3)
or equivalent
Instead of taking 6 hours of electives, there is an option to take an independent study course with a faculty member that would be designed as a capstone service learning course.
Other elective courses may be substituted by permission and with prior approval of the certificate program advisory committee.