The Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program offered by University of Vermont is intended as a full-time program to prepare candidates to attain a high level of scholarly competence and to develop the capacity to contribute knowledge to their field. The program will develop scholars who can analyze and inform the development of educational systems and public policies that will positively impact the lives of our children and youth and address broad societal issues such as child poverty. The degree will serve students who wish to pursue research/teaching careers in universities and/or research and policy positions in government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and other public and private sector organizations.

The course work and experiences for each student's program are organized around four major themes, which provide the framework of the program:

• critical theoretical perspectives
• organizational theory, change, and leadership
• policy studies and political processes
• process of inquiry/applied research and utilization of knowledge

The goals of the program include, but are not limited to:

• Preparing professional researchers, scholars, and faculty competent in conducting and sharing research.
• Focusing on research training that uses advanced quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches to add to theoretical knowledge.
• Emphasizing publication of research findings to enhance knowledge in education and social services.
• Developing areas of interdisciplinary specialization.