Does this apply to me?

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