Career Paths for Learning Sciences PhD Graduates

The faculty of the Learning Sciences program work with individual students to develop a specialized program of study, which further prepares individuals to develop their areas of specialization. Study in these areas prepare students to become experts in their field who can lead future research and teach on these topics as faculty members, and further position students to pursue employment in relevant career sectors in educational research and practice settings. ​

Specific Career Paths that graduates might pursue after doctoral study and examples of programs of studies that would prepare students to do so appear below.

Potential Career Paths in the Learning Sciences

  • Educational Researcher
    Graduate students who complete the doctoral degree in learning sciences will be generally prepared for careers involving the application of theories of learning and development and research methodologies as faculty members in higher education settings and as practitioners in education settings.
  • Quantitative Methodologist
    With focused additional coursework that is focused on methodology and statistical analysis, LSPS students can augment the methods core in the program to develop the qualifications necessary to lead quantitative analyses conducted at a variety of institution types.
  • Testing and Assessment Specialist
    Graduate students can focus their coursework in their specialization to learn assessment designs and psychometric and analytical methods that will develop their skills and dispositions and prepare them to lead assessment initiatives in educational settings.

Career Paths of program graduates
LSPS graduates have obtained a variety of faculty and education-focused positions, including:

  • Faculty of Education​, University of Illinois Chicago​
  • Faculty of Education​, Indiana University​
  • Faculty of Learning Sciences, McGill University​
  • Faculty of Nursing Science​, East Carolina University​
  • Faculty of History and Sociology, Roanoke-Chowan Community College
  • Faculty, United States Air Force​
  • Faculty​, U.S. Military Academy at West Point ​
  • Faculty, Medical College of Wisconsin​
  • Faculty, University of North Carolina at Pembroke​
  • Faculty, Wilmette Institute​
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Indiana University​
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, South Carolina University​
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Pittsburgh​
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Virginia Commonwealth University​
  • Associate Provost for Student Engagement, Enrollment, and Retention​, University of North Carolina Wilmington​
  • Learning Specialist, Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine​
  • Chief Learning Officer, High Point University, Dental Medicine​
  • Science Education Researcher​, Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel)​
  • Digital Health Workforce​, University of Melbourne​
  • Director of Assessment, Student Affairs, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill​
  • Executive Director, Research on International Student Engagement​, Wake Forest University​
  • Continuous Improvement Officer​, Edinboro University​
  • Data Analyst, Applied Research & Evaluation​, Duke University​
  • Research Specialist​, University of North Carolina Greensboro
  • Psychometrician​, American Board of Anesthesiology​
  • Psychometrician​, Imagine Learning​
  • Research Scientist​, Digital Promise​
  • Director of Student Support Services, Cardinal Newman High School (SC)
  • Founder (Non-profit), Village of Wisdom​
  • Learning and Evaluation Strategist​, Independent Consulting​
  • Educational Program Evaluator​, Independent Consulting​
  • Therapist​, Human Givens Institute​
  • Program Evaluator at CHES Solutions Group​
  • Program Evaluator at CHES Solutions Group​