Masters and doctoral degree programs in Education specializations other than Foundations of Education, Educational Studies, and Educational Policy Studies shall include foundational studies which promote the development of interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives on education as described in Standard I.

This Standard seeks to ensure at least a minimum foundational studies component in all graduate programs offered by departments, schools, and colleges of education in order that candidates specializing in all fields of education have a disciplined basis for developing interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives on education.

Candidates seeking masters and doctoral degrees in education require informed interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives on educational arrangements, practices, and discourse. At levels appropriate to masters or doctoral programs, foundational instruction exposes students to research and field experiences that promote knowledge and understanding of the content and context of fundamental issues and themes in education. Faculty in institutions that include educational psychology among foundational studies should note that instruction in the behavioral sciences alone cannot satisfy this Standard. Rather, this Standard is addressed specifically to instruction in humanistic and social foundational studies. It assumes that additional studies in the behavioral sciences are required. Instruction intended to satisfy this Standard is offered by faculty typically associated with the Foundations of Education, Educational Studies, or Educational Policy Studies who meet the qualifications stipulated under Standard VIII.