Community & Social Change M.S.Ed.

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Not accepting students for the 2023 - 2024 academic year.

The master’s degree in Community & Social Change (CSC) prepares globally aware leaders, researchers, and agents of change who create, inspire, and engage community organizations. The program believes that leaders in community organizations must be knowledgeable in research, theories, and practice. To create community-engaged leaders and social justice practitioners, we train students to translate knowledge of individual, organizational and community wellbeing into practice, engaging in action, research and consultation with the community.

The 30-credit master’s program in Community & Social Change includes training in research methods, program evaluation, community well-being, organizational change, and social change praxis. CSC courses are scheduled with sufficient flexibility to accommodate working professionals and students who cannot relocate to South Florida. The core classes are small in size and held generally once a month on the weekend, giving students the freedom to explore career and volunteer options. Generally, full-time students are able to complete the program in 18 months to two years. We also offer a 36-credit Thesis Track that includes a master’s thesis research project to prepare interested students in becoming competitive candidates for potential Ph.D. and other doctoral studies. Graduates of the program receive a Master of Science in Education (M.S. Ed) degree.

Virtual Info Session with the Program Director

What We Do?

The community and social change program is based on the discipline of community psychology. Community psychology is a distinctive approach to understanding and solving community, organizational, and societal problems.

But, what is at its core?

Communities are our office. The curriculum encourages students to engage and critique the complex systems influencing communities and act in a manner that best acknowledges and addresses needs. While others are also concerned with community welfare, what makes community psychologists 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 sustainable and transformative impact. 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.

In the Community and Social Change master’s program, what we do here is anything but ambiguous — we are simply trying to change the world. Community psychologists work collaboratively with others to help strengthen systems, provide cost-effective services, increase access to resources, and optimize quality for individuals, private and governmental organizations, corporations, and community groups.

 

Purpose and Goals

The program is designed to enhance our students’ abilities to:

  • Lead, administer, and inspire within educational and community settings;
  • Lead group processes and consultations;
  • Develop and evaluate programs;
  • Engage in ethical practices;
  • Develop collaborative efforts to address social issues;
  • Think and act as advocates and agents of change;
  • Think and act in ecological, multicultural, and global ways;
  • Understand and utilize theory and research;
  • Understand power dynamics, systems, and social sources of well-being; and
  • Communicate well in oral, written, and electronic media formats.

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