The Master of Arts program in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies (POLS) draws upon an integrated knowledge base, the expertise of renowned faculty, and practice-based experiences to equip students for varied careers as leaders in the field of education. Under the guidance of an academic advising team, students align their program of study to their specific goals. Courses from practically every department at Stanford are open to POLS students including those in business, design, economics, fine arts, history, law, philosophy, psychology, public policy, sociology, and of course, education. POLS is a nine-month, full-time, on-campus program. Admission is highly selective.
Education is a joint venture. Varied parties in government, business, schools and civil society all contribute to the provision of education and must ensure its ongoing vitality. The mission of POLS is to equip people with the knowledge, theory, and hands-on experience they need to lead, make positive change, and contribute to the future of education.
POLS graduates are in a wide variety of settings and leadership roles. For example, you can find recent POLS graduates in the following roles and organizations:
To arrange a visit or ask questions about the program, please contact Ann Jaquith at ajaquith@stanford.edu.
For all admissions inquiries, please contact:
gseadmissions@stanford.edu
Tel: (650) 723-4794
Stanford University
Graduate School of Education
485 Lasuen Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3096
Tel: (650) 723-2109
Fax: (650) 725-7412
info@gse.stanford.edu
To learn more about requirements for admission, please visit the Application Requirements page.
To learn more about the cost of the program and options for financial support, please visit Financing Your Master’s Degree on the admissions website.
For admissions webinars and to connect with the admission office, see our Connect and Visit page.
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