Community & Social Change M.S.Ed.

The C& SC Master’s Program prepares individuals to lead human service and community organizations in this increasingly complex and changing world. We prepare leaders, activists, advocates, administrators, consultants, evaluators, managers, organizers, program developers, and researchers to play a variety of roles in a many different types of community settings. This program also prepares graduates to pursue doctoral training in applied social and behavioral sciences such as counseling, community psychology, clinical psychology, social work, or law.

All application materials must be submitted online to the Graduate School by June 1, 2022. The program begins in mid-August. Although our application deadline is June 1, 2022, for tuition waiver consideration, we encourage you to submit all application materials by March 1st.

CSC courses are scheduled with sufficient flexibility to accommodate working professionals and students who cannot relocate to South Florida. All required program courses are held over 1 weekend per month during the fall and spring. Elective courses chosen by students may follow a different schedule.

The Community and Social Change Program housed in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies is an intensive 30 credit-hour program. The unique once-a-month course meeting schedule allows for students to work full time while maintaining a full-time student classification. Even though we will be meeting face-to-face for one week or a weekend a month, students are expected to be available throughout the semester to do reading and research, engage in discussions and group work in-person or online, and complete required assignments in between classes. Given the high-level demands and academic rigor of the program it is imperative that students are cognizant of the program expectations and full-time commitment. Ultimately, students must attend all classes and contribute to class discussions and projects in a meaningful manner. Students are provided continual faculty feedback with respect to classroom engagement and academic performance. Given the nature of our core tenants, high level interpersonal and professional skills are vital and are an integral precept of learning.

The program takes 18 months or 4 academic semesters (including summer) to complete if attending full time. It starts in August and ends the following December. It is also possible to attend the program on a part-time basis and take longer to complete.

We consider applicants of all ages, as long as they have a bachelor's degree and some community-based experience. About one-third of each cohort is made up of recent college graduates. The other two-third are people who have been out of school for varying amounts of time returning to gain new knowledge and skills or make a career change. Many of these students have been working in non-profit community-based organizations.

Yes. The program is based upon the principle that the aim of all learning is for practical efficacy. Every semester, one of the required courses includes a service-learning, community-engaged semester-long project that requires students to work in the community or with community organizations. In addition, the program requires field experience and a capstone project in collaboration with a community-based organization which provides students with a practical application of what they have learned in the classroom.

While other programs are also concerned with community development, what makes the CSC program distinctive is that we apply well-established psychological principles and techniques, tested and proven in practice, to improve well-being and effectiveness at individual, organizational, and community levels. Social change is our goal; combining theory, research, and action, the program encourages students to seize opportunities to create a transformative impact that lasts. We do so with an explicit concern for social and racial justice, inclusiveness and participation, the value of diversity, collaboration, and a focus on strengths. Because of our

strong emphasis on research and theory, our graduates are highly prepared not only as practitioners but also as potential candidates for Ph.D. and other doctoral studies.

Miami is a vibrant multicultural and international city serving as the gateway between Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. It is an exciting time to be at the University of Miami as we strive to be a “hemispheric” university that serves as a bridge between cultures and continents. Many non-profit and human service organizations solicit UM student involvement through both paid and non-paid positions. As a result, UM students have access to multiple internship opportunities allowing them to establish a strong network of social change professionals upon graduation.

We have a Ph.D. program in Community Well Being (CWB) for highly qualified students that have completed a master’s degree. For students intending to pursue a Ph.D. after completing their C&SC master’s degree, we suggest completing a master’s thesis for your capstone project. Please visit the CWB website for more information.

GRE is not required for admission to the CSC program. Please see all other admission requirements.

The Community and Social Change Program has need and merit-based tuition waiver available. Although our application deadline is June 1, 2022, for tuition waiver consideration, we encourage you to submit all application materials by June 1, 2022. Students seeking loans should review this webpage. Students may also apply for graduate student work opportunities including Federal Work-Study, departmental hirings, and graduate assistantships.

Graduate assistantships are not guaranteed upon admission to the program. The department awards assistantships to newly admitted students as funding becomes available.