APCE Overview

What is Adult, Professional, and Community Education (APCE)?

Adult educators are found in community organizations such as libraries, museums, and parks; government agencies; schools and higher education; foundations and NGOs; the business sector; social services; the military; religious organizations; social and community action groups; vocational education; media and technology; professional associations; or any setting where adults are learning or need to learn. The traditional knowledge bases of this interdisciplinary field include adult learning and teaching, adult development, program planning and evaluation, community and organizational development,  organizational and community learning, and a rich literature on adult learning/education and social justice.

Students learn to team with faculty and field professionals beyond classroom experiences as demonstrated in our most recent student contributions. 

M.A. Program Overview

The common core curriculum prepares the educator to meet the contemporary needs of the adult learner and includes courses in the adult learning and development; program development, including needs assessment, design, implementation, management, and evaluation; research methodology; teaching adults; and multicultural perspectives in postsecondary and adult education. Students also complete an internship. In addition to the core curriculum, there are two concentrations in the MA in Adult, Professional and Community Education program: Adult Literacy/English as a Second Language, and Workplace, Community and Continuing Education.

Program Mission

The Master of Arts in Adult, Professional and Community Education program aims to prepare graduate students to teach and lead effectively in a way that provides graduates with tools to:

• Assess educational and related needs
• Design, implement, manage, and evaluate programs and services to effectively address those needs
• Structure participatory programs involving collaboration, development, and ownership of educational ends and means by the learners themselves
• Understand, analyze, and relate pertinent theories to practice.
• Design and conduct practical research aimed at enhancing effectiveness of educational programs
• Model excellence in learning and leadership as well as in personal, professional, and community networking and development, so that Adult, Professional and Community Education program participants can meet their educational and related needs and goals; aspire to excellence in lifelong learning, critical thinking, and creative problem solving; and improve the quality of their lives.