Does this apply to me?
- Fall 2019 and later: All students should follow the program of study outlined below.
- Fall 2017: Follow the program of study for the Fall 2017 cohort.
- Fall 2016: Follow the program of study for the Fall 2016 cohort.
- Fall 2013 and 2014: Follow the program of study for the Fall 2013 and Fall 2014 cohorts.
Current Program of Study
The program of studies, i.e., the courses and curriculum for the Ph.D. in Education, Policy, Leadership and School Improvement (PLS), is a minimum of 60 credit hours, made up of four parts and dissertation work:
- 18 credit hours of required Core Courses for the Ph.D. in Education;
- 15 credit hours of required Core Courses for the PLS Strand;
- 12 credit hours of PLS Research Core Courses;
- 9 credit hours of Electives;
- 6 credit hours of Dissertation work.
Learn More About the Program
Have questions? Contact us to connect directly with our program staff. We’re here to support you as you explore the Ph.D. in Policy, Leadership and School Improvement program.
Ph.D. Core Courses
The following 18 credit hours are required for all Ph.D. candidates. These are intended to be foundational courses for the entire program.
- EDUC 867: Issues in Ed Policy and Research, 3 hrs
- EDUC 876: Histories of Schooling: Culture, Curriculum, and Change, 3 hrs
- EDUC 825: Development and Learning, 3 hrs
- EDUC 824: Foundations of Educational Research, 3 hrs
- EDUC 710: Statistical Analysis of Educational Data (or relevant alternative), 3 hrs
- EDUC 830: Philosophical Foundations of Qualitative Research, 3 hrs
- 1 advanced research methods course, any type (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, mixed), 3 hrs
PLS Core Courses
- EDUC 930: Economics of Education, 3 hrs
- EDUC 832: Politics of Education, 3 hrs
- EDUC 902: Sociology of School Improvement, 3 hrs
- EDUC 866: Policy to Practice, 3 hrs
- EDUC 785: Program Evaluation in Education, 3 hrs
PLS Research Core Courses
- EDUC 784: Intermediate Statistical Methods (or similar), 3 hrs
- EDUC 885: Secondary Data Analysis, 3 hrs
- EDUC 805A: Foundations of Academic Research and Writing, 3 hrs
- At least one additional 3 hr research methods course (examples include: mixed methods, case study methods, causal inference in educational research)
PLS Electives
Any 9 hrs of courses that may come from the following list, or from among other courses in the School of Education, or the departments of Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, or Sociology:
- Culture and Politics in Second Language Education
- Schooling of Latinos
- School Law and Policy
- Gender, Race and Class Issues in Education
- Social and Educational History of the United States
Dissertation Course
- EDUC 994: Doctoral Research and Dissertation, at least 6 hrs