Current Program of Study
The program of studies, i.e., the courses and curriculum for the Ph.D. in Education, Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies (LSPS), is a minimum of 58 credit hours, made up of 4 parts:
- 15 credit hours of Required Core Courses for the Ph.D. in Education;
- 18 credit hours of Required Core Courses for the LSPS Research Strand;
- 15-18 credit hours in your Research Specialization;
- 6-9 Dissertation credits.
Ph.D. Core Courses (required)
The following credit hours are required for all Ph.D.in Education candidates. As foundational courses for the rest of the program, you should plan to take them in your first, or at the latest second, year of coursework.
- EDUC 710: Statistical Analysis of Educational Data (or prerequisite), 3 hrs
- EDUC 824: Fundamentals of Educational Research, 3 hrs
- EDUC 825: Development and Learning, 3 hrs
- EDUC 830: Qualitative Research Methods I: Philosophical Foundations of Qualitative Research (listed as Field Techniques to Fall 2025), 3 hrs
- EDUC 867: Issues in Educational Policy and Research, 3 hrs
- EDUC 876: Histories of School and Schooling, 3 hrs
LSPS Core Courses (required)
You are required to complete the following credit hours for the LSPS strand:
- EDUC 784: Intermediate Statistical Methods, 3 hrs
- EDUC 829: Applied Measurement Theory for Education, 3 hrs
- EDUC 915: Introduction to Learning Sciences, 3 hrs
- EDUC 923: Design-Based Research, 3 hrs
- EDUC 761: Design of Technology OR EDUC 919: Enhanced Learning Environments, 3 hrs
Research Specialization Courses
Research Specialization courses are designed to deepen your knowledge in your chosen area. You can take up to two of the five to six courses outside of the School of Education. Areas of specialization within the LSPS program include, but are not limited to:
- Science Learning and Instruction
- Mathematics Learning and Instruction
- Learning Out of School
- Learning Analytics
- Cognitive and Learning Sciences
- Personalized Learning
- Quantitative/Evaluative Methods
- EDUC 884 Stat 3 (Multivariate)
- EDUC 888 Structural Equation Modeling
- EDUC/PSYC 894 Item Response Theory
- EDUC 935 Multilevel Modeling
- EDUC 790 AI for Quantitative Methods
Dissertation Hours Requirements
6 credit hours minimum over at least 2 semesters
- EDUC 994: Doctoral Research and Dissertation, 3 hrs
Important Notes
- Students must enroll in at least 9 credit hours each term to be considered full time. Maximum credit hours permitted per semester is 16.
- All courses must be approved by the student’s Program of Studies Committee, including any substitutions or transfers.
- Students have 8 calendar years from date of first registration to complete all requirements for the degree.
- With approval from the POS committee, the doctoral candidate can also take courses from other Ph.D. in Education concentrations,from other UNC-Chapel Hill academic departments, or from other universities (e.g., Duke, NC State, etc.)
- Students enrolled Fall 2014 and earlier should follow the program of study for pre-2015 cohorts. All students Fall 2015 and later should follow the program of study outlined on this page.