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History and Education

Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis

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Program Description

The Program in History and Education is one of the oldest at Teachers College, the history of education having been one of the first components of the university study of education. Many of the earliest doctoral dissertations at Teachers College dealt with historical subjects, even in the case of students aspiring to careers in curriculum, guidance, and administration.

The Program prepares people to teach in graduate schools of education, undergraduate departments of education, departments of history, theological seminaries, or other academic institutions, and to work as research scholars in institutes, government bureaus, or social service agencies where a deep understanding of education in historical perspective is essential.

The Program addresses important educational questions first, by examining the ideas, individuals, and institutions of the past to determine their influence on their own times and second, by bringing historical knowledge and perspective to bear on current educational issues. The Program offers courses covering the educational history of America, urban areas, women, immigrants, and African-Americans.

The Program is open to students of broad and diverse backgrounds who can give evidence of academic competence and personal qualities suggesting high probability of professional success. Each student in the Program is expected to take courses in the history of education, as well as in the more generalized fields of social, political, and cultural history. Students can also take subject matter courses in cognate areas aimed at complementing and supporting their specialized areas of interest within the history of education. In addition, most students engage in continuous independent research under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in the Program are encouraged, with their advisor’s guidance, to make full use of resources offered by other programs at Teachers College, Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary.

Note: Students interested in becoming a certified public school teacher, please see the Program in Teaching of Social Studies in the Arts and Humanities Department. The Program in History and Education does not offer degree programs leading to public school teacher certification.

Degrees

  • Master of Arts

    • Points/Credits: 30/32 (depending on course selection)

      Entry Terms: Spring/Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The Master of Arts degree program offers two approaches:

      1. 30 points and a formal master’s essay, or

      2. 32 points and a special project. Topics and preparation of the essay or the special project are to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor. At least 15 of the points taken for the degree must be in the field of history and education. At least three Teachers College courses (for at least 2 points each) must be taken outside of the Program in History and Education.

  • Master of Education

    • Points/Credits: 60

      Entry Terms: Spring/Fall

      Degree Requirements

      The Master of Education requires 60 points, at least 30 of which must be completed under the auspices of Teachers College. Students must take at least 30 points in history and education and at least three Teachers College courses (for at least 2 points each) outside the program.

  • Doctor of Philosophy

    • Points/Credits: 75

      Entry Terms: Fall Only

      Degree Requirements

      The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires 75 points, including demonstrated proficiency in two foreign languages. The Ph.D. degree program emphasizes historical research in education. Candidates should be in touch with the Office of Doctoral Studies to be certain of complying with the latest procedures, deadlines, and documents.

Faculty

  • Faculty

    • Ansley T. Erickson Associate Professor of History and Education Policy
    • Thomas James Professor of History and Education

  • Instructors

    • Rachel Tamar Klepper

Courses

  • EDP 5063 - US Education Policy in Historical Perspective
    This course takes a historical approach to examining educational policy in the U.S., focusing particularly on the interaction between federal policy and local and state contexts, to help students explore and answer these key questions: why and how did schooling became a public, state function in the U.S.? how have U.S citizens answered the question of who governs schools, and at what scale? How has education policy interacted with and been shaped by racism, sexism, classism, and heterosexism? Part I of the course focuses on cross-cutting historical questions about the idea and evolution of education policy and governance in the U.S. Part II examines examples of federal policy in education – including those that have attempted to address poverty through and within education, to address segregation by racial category, to support bilingual education, to meet the needs of students with disabilities, to establish standards for academic achievement, and to foster school choice.
  • EDP 7501 - Dissertation Seminar
    Faculty. Permission by instructor required. Required of doctoral students in the semester following successful completion of certification examinations.
  • EDPH 4060 - History of Education in NYC
    An examination of the city’s educational institutions from the perspective of the different school populations who attended them over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • EDPH 4070 - History of Education in the US
    Considers the development of American education in the context of American social and intellectual history.
  • EDPH 4076 - History of Urban Education
    Understanding the development of schooling in US cities, with an emphasis on social, economic, and spatial changes in the metropolitan environment and their interactions with schools.
  • EDPH 4901 - Research and Independent Study: History and Education
    Permission of instructor required.
  • EDPH 5070 - History and Theory of Higher Education
    What is the purpose of higher education, and how has its purpose changed over time? In this course, we will investigate this fundamental question by contextualizing how religious, cultural, political, and international dynamics have contoured American higher education since the origins of the first colonial colleges to its present-day policies and issues.
  • EDPH 5076 - History of African-American Education
    An exploration of informal and formal education from slavery to the present.
  • EDPH 5190 - Old and New Histories of Higher Education Institutions
    This research seminar, open to students from any program, supports research on the history of Teachers College as an academic institution. The last history of TC was published in 1954. New histories are vitally needed now. Fresh evidence, more recently published scholarship, and alternative perspectives make this endeavor an excellent opportunity for students to engage in historical research.
  • EDPH 5195 - Experience, Education and Histories
    This seminar takes a historical perspective to explore learning through experience changed with the rise of mass schooling, increasing urbanization and industrialization, and the revolution in technology and communications. Special attention will be given to initiatives aiming to promote learning through experience amidst the ever-expanding built world and the standardization and regimentation of formal education. The seminar examines the history of efforts to foster learning settings that integrate direct experience, spontaneity, creativity, adventure and play more fully into the education of children and young adults.
  • EDPH 5670 - Colloquium in History and Education
    Discussion of research and teaching topics in history and education. Permission of instructor required.
  • EDPH 6041 - History & Education Historical Method
    Methods, principles, and problems of historical research and interpretation. Designed for students throughout the College undertaking systematic inquiries on historical topics.
  • EDPH 6901 - Research Independent Study: History and Education
    Permission of instructor required.
  • EDPH 8901 - Dissertation Advisement: History & Education
    Faculty. Individual advisement on doctoral dissertations. Fee to equal 3 points at current tuition rate for each term. For requirements, see section in catalog on Continuous Registration for Ed.D./Ph.D. degrees.
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