About School of Educational Studies (SES)
Our work spans social justice, community engagement, and social change—advancing education equity through leadership, practice, and research. We equip students with the skills to evaluate and analyze data, understand complex systems, and translate knowledge into meaningful, practical outcomes.
We prepare educators, leaders, and changemakers to advance education equity and drive social change. Grounded in a transdisciplinary approach, SES connects ideas across fields—integrating social justice, community engagement, and data-informed research and practice—to address complex challenges and turn knowledge into lasting change.
Transdisciplinary Approach
At the graduate and doctoral level, a transdisciplinary approach goes beyond studying a single field—it prepares scholars and practitioners to integrate, apply, and create knowledge across disciplines to address complex educational challenges. In education, the most pressing issues—equity, access, leadership, policy, and student success—do not exist in isolation. They require insights from multiple fields such as sociology, psychology, public policy, data science, and community practice.
At CGU and within SES, students engage in deep disciplinary expertise while also learning to connect across boundaries—linking theory to practice, research to real-world contexts, and data to lived experience. This approach emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and community engagement, equipping graduate students not only to analyze problems, but to design and implement solutions that are responsive, inclusive, and impactful.
By transcending traditional academic silos, a transdisciplinary education prepares leaders who can navigate complexity, work across sectors, and generate knowledge that drives meaningful change in education and beyond.
Why Mission Matters
At Claremont Graduate University, mission is not a statement on a wall—it is a call to action – and a call to kindred spirits and like-minded partners. We exist to prepare leaders for positive change which means shaping people who question, connect, and create across boundaries. Nowhere is this more alive than in the School of Educational Studies (SES).
Here, mission becomes identity.
We are a community of educators, researchers, practitioners, and advocates who believe education is one of the most powerful tools for individual, institutional, and societal transformation. Grounded in CGU’s transdisciplinary approach, SES brings together perspectives from across fields to confront complex challenges in education—because no single discipline can solve inequity, reimagine systems, or build just futures alone.
We are about equity, justice, possibility, and excellence.
SES reflects CGU’s deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion—not just as values, but as daily practice. Whether in Student Affairs & Educational Justice, Urban Leadership, K–12 Education & Equity, or Community-Engaged Education & Social Change, our work centers those historically excluded and elevates voices too often unheard. Programs like Higher Education/Student Affairs, Education Evaluation & Data Analysis, Allies of Dreamers, and Teacher Education extend this commitment into policy, practice, and lived impact. We set the bar high, and build ladders to bring others with us to new heights.
We are about integrity in action.
Integrity means aligning what we believe with what we do. At SES, that shows up in how we teach, how we partner, how we mentor, and how we lead. Our faculty and students don’t just study systems—they work within them, challenge them, and redesign them alongside communities. Knowledge here is not abstract; it is applied, tested, and shared for the public good.
We are what we do—and how we do it.
Guided by our principles, we educate to open doors and mentor to nurture voice and possibility. We practice lifelong learning, recognizing that growth is continuous and collective. And we generate knowledge not for its own sake, but to shape the world—carrying ideas across boundaries and turning them into action, together.
This is what brings us together.
SES is more than programs; it is a network of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and kindred spirits—locally rooted, nationally engaged, and globally connected. It is a community bound by purpose: to lead, to serve, and to transform education in ways that ripple far beyond the classroom.
Mission matters because it defines not just where we’re going—but who we become along the way.
And at SES, that journey is shared.
SES Guiding Principles
- Educate, Mentor, and Empower
We teach to open doors.
We mentor to nurture voice and possibility.
We honor each path as it unfolds into change.
- Practice Lifelong Learning
We remain learners—
curious, reflective, becoming—
growing alongside those we teach.
- Generate and Share Knowledge for Impact
We seek knowledge to shape the world.
We carry ideas across boundaries
and turn them into action, together.
Career Pathways in Educational Studies
Where Will Your MA or PhD Take You?
A Master’s or Doctorate in Education from CGU’s School of Educational Studies prepares you to lead, innovate, and drive change across diverse educational and organizational settings. Our graduates shape policy, strengthen institutions, and advance more just and equitable systems—grounded in ethics, evidence, and a commitment to the public good.
Career pathways may include:
- Principal or Superintendent
- Chief Academic, Learning, or Knowledge Officer
- Academic Dean or Provost
- College or University President
- Professor of Education
- Educational Researcher
- K–12 Educator
- Curriculum Developer or Educational Consultant
- Policy Analyst or Senior Fellow
- Executive leadership roles (CEO/COO) across nonprofits, higher education, academic medical centers, government, military, and K–12 systems
- Leaders in teacher preparation and development
- Assessment and data professionals, including institutional researchers, analysts, evaluators, and data managers
- Community-based leadership and advocacy roles
Whether you aspire to lead a school, direct a district, influence policy, expand access and opportunity, or pursue a tenure-track faculty position, an MA or PhD from SES positions you for a career defined by purpose, leadership, and meaningful contribution.