Curriculum and Instruction Doctorate

All students are required to meet the general university admission requirements.

Additional Requirements

• Master's degree with 3.0 minimum GPA
• Undergraduate and graduate degree from a recognized and accredited institution
• If you are applying to the Ed.D., you must also meet the following requirements:
  • U.S. applicants must be currently employed as a teacher or administrator and remain under contract with an institution for the duration of the program.
  • International applicants must be currently employed as educators within their national system. Must have at least three years of teaching experience.

Program-Specific Application Deadlines
Doctor of Education

• U.S. Applicants
  • Fall semester (begins in late August): Jul. 1
  • Spring semester (begins in late January): Dec. 1
  • Summer semester (begins in late May): May 1
• International Applicants
  • Fall semester (begins in late August): Jan. 1
  • Spring semester (begins in late January): Aug. 1
  • Summer semester (begins in late May): Mar. 1

Doctor of Philosophy

• U.S. Applicants
  • Fall semester (begins in late August): March 1
  • Spring semester (begins in late January): Oct. 1
  • Summer semester (begins in late May): Feb. 1
• International Applicants
  • Fall semester (begins in late August): Jan. 1
  • Spring semester (begins in late January): Aug. 1
  • Summer semester (begins in late May): Dec. 1

Additional Documentation
Your application must include the following:

• 1-2 page statement of professional goals and areas of inquiry within educational context, including:
  • Career and professional goals and aspirations, and how being accepted to the program will benefit your goals and aspirations
  • If you are applying to the Ed.D., include the following:
    • Areas for instructional improvement in your educational context or school that will serve as your research focus
    • Description of work experience within education or a related field (e.g., past and present employment)
  • If you are applying to the Ph.D., include the following:
    • Your intended area of emphasis in the program
    • Any research interests
    • Future professional plans (e.g., upon completion of the degree, do you plan to stay in your current position? If not, what type of position would you like to seek?)
    • Do you plan to complete classes as a part-time or full-time student? If a full-time student, do you intend to seek graduate assistantship? Which semester would you begin?
    • If you have a request for a certain advisor, indicate that preference in the statement.
• Letters of recommendation
  • Three letters of recommendation that speak to your professional, academic or analytical experiences, from individuals qualified to address your potential for success in the graduate program. Suggested references may be from a graduate school professor, administrator or colleague. Enter the names and email addresses of these individuals in the appropriate area of the online application.
• Resume/curriculum vitae
  • Must include previous academic degrees, past and present employment, professional activities and roles, and other pertinent information
• Writing sample of no more than 20 pages
  • Must be original and independently written in English
  • May be a research or practice paper written for a previous graduate course, a published article or other writing for an academic audience.
• Unofficial transcripts from each institution attended
  • Failure to list any colleges or universities from which you received a degree or enrolled in graduate coursework may result in dismissal from the university.
  • If your transcripts are not in English, you must furnish a translation by an appropriate authority.
  • You will be asked for official transcripts after notification of admission.
• Interview
  • If you are applying to the Ph.D. program, an interview with faculty members in the area of emphasis may be requested before an admission decision is made.

This program will expand your expertise as a K-12 teacher or administrator, or as a college or university faculty member or administrator.

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction requires a minimum of 94 postbaccalaureate, graduate credit hours. With the approval of the supervisory committee, up to 30 graduate hours earned as part of the master's degree may be used to satisfy the degree requirements.

Prerequisite (3 credits)

• EDCEP 816 - Research Methods in Education (3 credits)
• Other course approved by supervisory committee (3 credits)

Area of Emphasis (48 credits)

• Introductory Courses (6 credits)
  • EDCI 900 - Introduction to Ed.D. Doctoral Studies (3 credits)
  • EDCI 901 - Literature Reviews for Doctoral Research (3 credits)
• Analysis and Interpretation of Educational Research Theory Course (3 credits)
  • EDCI 907 - Curriculum Theory (3 credits)
  • Other theory course approved by the supervisory committee (3 credits)
• Courses with EDCI Prefix (12 credits)
  • Must be at the 800 or 900 course level
  • Research credits (EDCI 999) and internship credits (EDCI 991) are not applicable
• Courses in the Major or Minor Area (27 credits)

Foundational Knowledge (12 credits)

• History and Philosophy of Educational Ideas and Practice (3 credits)
• EDCI 812 - History of American Education (3 credits)
• EDCI 813 - Philosophy of American Education (3 credits)
• Education in a Diverse Society (3 credits)
• EDCI 864 - Social and Cultural Issues in Educational Technology (3 credits)
• Supporting Positive Change through Educational Technology (3 credits)
• EDCI 866 - Educational Technology Change Management (3 credits)

• Curriculum (3 credits)
• EDCI 831 - Contemporary Issues in Teaching and Learning (3 credits)
• EDCI 882 - Teaching and Learning Models (3 credits)

• ELD Track (9 credits; applies to EFL track only)
  • EDCI 845 - ELD/Dual Language Methods (3 credits)
  • EDCI 846 - ELD/Dual Language Culture and Language in Classroom Practice (3 credits)
  • EDCI 847 - ELD/Dual Language Assessment (3 credits)
  • Other foundational knowledge courses approved by the supervisory committee

Research (12 credits)
Research courses concerning methodology consistent with that required for the dissertation and approved by the supervisory committee. Possible courses include:

• EDCEP 817 - Statistical Methods in Education (3 credits)
• EDCEP 819 - Survey Research (3 credits)
• EDCEP 917 - Experimental Design in Educational Research (3 credits)
• EDLEA 838 - Qualitative Research in Education (3 credits)
• Other research course approved by supervisory committee (3 credits)

Clinical Experience (12 credits)

• EDCI 991 - Internship I in Curriculum and Instruction, Fall Year 1 (3 credits)
• EDCI 991 - Internship II in Curriculum and Instruction, Spring Year 1 (3 credits)
• EDCI 991 - Internship III in Curriculum and Instruction, Fall Year 2 (3 credits)
• EDCI 991 - Internship IV in Curriculum and Instruction, Spring Year 2 (3 credits)

Doctoral Research (16 credits)

• EDCI 999 - Research in Curriculum and Instruction (16 credits)

Preliminary Examination
Satisfactory completion of all segments of a monitored, written examination of at least 12 hours over all areas of the program of study, three of which must be over the foundation courses.

Dissertation Research (16 credits)
Completion of a dissertation which treats an important topic of professional education practice using a systematic methodology consistent with accepted research paradigms. The dissertation must be successfully defended in a public, oral defense.

• EDCI 999 - Research in Curriculum and Instruction (16 credits)

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction requires a minimum of 90 postbaccalaureate, graduate credit hours. With the approval of the supervisory committee, up to 30 graduate hours earned as part of the master’s degree may be used to satisfy the degree requirements.

Areas of Emphasis (54 credits)

• Theory Course (3 credits)
  • EDCI 907 - Curriculum Theory (3 credits) (This course is offered in the fall of odd years.)
  • Theory course in the content field (e.g., EDCI 818 - Theoretical Models of Reading)
  • Theory course approved by the advisor
• Courses with the EDCI Prefix (12 credits)
  • Research credits (EDCI 999) and internship credits (EDCI 991) may not be applied to the 12 credit hour minimum.
• Courses in the Major and Minor Area (42 credits)

Foundations of Education (3 credits)
Possible courses include:

• EDCI 812 - History of Education (3 credits)
• EDCI 813 - Comparative Philosophies of Education (3 credits)

Research (15 credits)
Programs of study must include quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Possible courses include:

• EDCI 912 - Historical Research Methods in Education (3 credits)
• EDCEP 817 - Statistical Methods in Education (3 credits)
• EDCEP 819 - Survey Research (3 credits)
• EDCEP 917 - Experimental Design in Educational Research (3 credits)
• EDLEA 838 - Qualitative Research in Education (3 credits)
• EDLEA 938 - Advanced Data Analysis in Qualitative Methods (3 credits)
• EDLEA 948 - Data Representation and Writing in Qualitative Research (3 credits)

Note: EDCEP 816 - Research Methods or its equivalent is considered a prerequisite for the 15 credits of research in the Ph.D. program. Also, EDCI 760 - Action Research in Education cannot be included in the 15-credit research course requirement.

Doctoral Research (18 credits minimum; no more than 30 credits)

• EDCI 999 - Research in Curriculum and Instruction (1-18 credits)

Preliminary Examination
Satisfactory completion of all segments of an examination over all areas of the program of study.

Dissertation Research (18 credits minimum; no more than 30 credits)
Completion of a dissertation which examines a topic congruent with the program of study using a systematic methodology consistent with accepted research paradigms; the dissertation must be successfully defended in a public, oral defense.

• EDCI 999 - Research in Curriculum and Instruction (1-18 credits)

Develop professional educators who accurately perceive, critically analyze, prudently judge, skillfully perform and ethically act in their professional environments.

Critical Skills = Perceive, Analyze, Judge, Perform, Advocate

Context: Doctoral program graduates interpret the contexts in which they work from multiple perspectives.

• Contexts may include perspectives such as historical; philosophical; socio-cultural; political; linguistic; legal; ethical; cultural; student, family, and community; and students' socioemotional responsiveness.

Curriculum: Doctoral program graduates synthesize, apply and defend curricular perspectives, drawing upon sound theoretical perspectives and/or effective practices.

• Theoretical perspectives and effective practices may be informed by recent models of curricula and research on best practices, as well as theories that attempt to explain various aspects of students, learning and society. Depending on context, advanced study in education may draw upon curriculum theories, learning theories, motivation theories, linguistic theories, socio-cultural theories, critical theories, and social justice, ethical and care theories.

Practice: Doctoral program graduates reasonably apply contextual and curricular frameworks to robust professional practices characterized by independent, informed and compassionate judgment.

• Create and enact effective professional practices involving a variety of competencies depending on professional context and circumstance. All advanced professional educators should demonstrate expertise in their chosen field, such as the ability synthesize, apply and enact wise professional judgments. These judgements are not only informed by contextual and curricular foundations, but also by individual acts of self-reflection, conceptualization, collaboration, differentiation and/or adaptation.

Inquiry: Doctoral program graduates thoughtfully conceptualize, rigorously conduct and accurately interpret education research.

• Advanced inquiry in education typically involves the ability to address interesting and important questions; develop reasonable arguments for research decisions; identify, synthesize and connect previous research to new topics; construct defensible theoretical frameworks; select and use appropriate research methods; accurately interpret data within the context of a given study and/or field; and use research to improve practice and/or further research.

Dispositions: Doctoral program graduates (1) know their students, colleagues and/or clients; (2) value, practice and promote lifelong learning; (3) respect and respond to cross-cultural and cross-linguistic learners; (4) commit to professional, ethical and legal conduct; (5) critically think and reflect upon their perspectives, practices and outcomes.

• Professional educators are disposed to carefully consider the implications of their behaviors, positions and products on the students, teachers and communities they serve.