Minority and Urban Education is a group of faculty, students, and staff who are committed to improving opportunities and equity for children whose lives are marginalized at the intersections of race, linguistic diversity, gender, ethnicity, and social class through our research, teaching, and practice. Applying a social justice framework, we examine how broad social and political contexts impact urban teachers, students, families, and communities in various settings and seek strategies for community empowerment and transformation.
This program is specifically designed to provide graduate students with a broad base of knowledge about the education of minorities and of students in urban areas. This includes such issues as the social and political context of urban schools, the practices and policies that govern urban teaching, and the education of ethnic, racial, cultural and language minorities in all settings. To that end, the unit is designed to provide an explicit focus on the scope of issues confronting minority students in urban and other contexts. Opportunities for graduate students and faculty to form long-lasting relationships with school leaders and community educators and activists involved with the Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education (MIMAUE) also exist. Both faculty and students actively participate in conferences, colloquia, research projects, fellowships and other grants available through the Institute. The field of Minority & Urban Education necessarily incorporates perspectives from a variety of fields such as Sociology, Urban Planning, Political Science, Educational Policy and Leadership as well as Science, Math and Literacy. As such, students are encouraged to develop a cognate in a related area of study.
The Minority & Urban Education specialization prepares M.A.-non-thesis students to work as educators, curriculum specialists, researchers and teacher educators in schools and universities in urban school districts and districts with large minority populations.
For information on the graduate admissions process please visit https://gradschool.umd.edu/education/edtl.
Please refer to the Guide to Applying for instructions on how to apply for graduate admission. If you have questions or concerns, we ask you to first review our list of Frequently Asked Questions.
For questions about the application process, or to check on the completion of your application please contact the TLPL Coordinator of Graduate Studies, by email: tlpl-admissions@umd.edu or phone: (301) 405-3118.
INFORMATION SESSION about our Ph.D. and M.A. programs will be held on October 13, 2023, by zoom. Please email Kay Moon (kmoon@umd.edu) to receive updates.
For questions related to the admissions process, prospective students may contact tlpl-admissions@umd.edu.
For academic advising on the MA program in Minority and Urban Education, please contact Dr. Tara Brown at tmbrown@umd.edu.
Financial assistance for graduate study is generally divided into two categories:
- Merit-Based Assistance Need-Based Assistance
- Fellowships and Scholarships Loans
- Graduate Assistantships
For more details about the various types of financial assistance offered by the campus please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid
There are also a number of fellowships and scholarships offered through the College of Education, the University, and through external sources which may provide tuition support and/or living allowance. Students must apply for these awards on their own, but the links that follow provide valuable information on searching for fellowships and scholarships.
For more information concerning fellowships and scholarships, please visit:
The College of Education Financial Aid & Scholarship webpage
For questions related to the admissions process, prospective students may contact Kay Moon, the TLPL Graduate Coordinator, at kmoon@umd.edu.
For program-specific questions about the Minority and Urban Education program students may contact Dr. Tara Brown at tmbrown@umd.edu.