Maike Philipsen, Ph.D.

Associate professor, School of Education
PFF instructor – GRAD 601, 602 and 604

Maike Philipsen, Ph.D., joined the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1993 and currently serves as associate professor of social foundations of education. A native of Germany, she has attended educational institutions in Germany, the U.S. and Canada.

Philipsen’s research interests center on issues of social justice and equality in education, with a focus on the roles of race, gender and social class in shaping schools and institutions of higher learning. She studies questions relating to equal opportunities at all educational levels, employing a sociological perspective and qualitative methodologies. One of her primary publications analyzed the cultural consequences of an African American school closing for the sake of desegregation.

The Department of Foundations of Education serves all programs in the School of Education, allowing Philipsen to work with students at all levels. She is actively involved in the school’s Ph.D. program as well as the university’s PFF program, where she serves as the lead faculty member.

Her activities encompass service to her department, school, university and the local community. She has experienced active service in professional organizations at the local, state, regional and national level, and currently serves as president-elect of the VCU chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Philipsen received her Ph.D. in Social Foundations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a master’s degree in political science from the Free University of Berlin.