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- 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.
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
*Only students who joined the program in Fall 2025 or later are required to take this course.
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 Elective Courses
With approval from the POS committee, any 9 hours 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
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 2019 and earlier should follow the program of study for their cohort. All students Fall 2019 and later should follow the program of study outlined on this page.
Learn More About the Program