Graduate Admissions Requirements

Applicants must meet both the University and departmental admission requirements to be considered for the program.

University of Kansas Graduate Admission Requirements

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy. 

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction Application Requirements

In addition to all University requirements for admission to graduate studies, applicants applying to the Curriculum and Instruction Ed.D. program must submit and/or meet the following application requirements:

• A completed graduate application
• Application fee
• Official transcripts of all degree-granting post-secondary institutions attended and an official transcript for each degree earned.  Doctoral applicants must have earned a master’s degree or equivalent with at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
• 2 recommendations, submitted online by the recommender, with a letter of recommendation attached to the recommendation form
• A statement of purpose declaring the applicant's interest in the program and its relationship to the applicant's graduate course of study and/or career objectives
• Resume or CV
• Writing sample – an article, paper or other scholarly composition written by the applicant. An appropriate length is 8-10 pages.

Hybrid programs are not eligible for I-20 or DS-2019 issuance for international student visas.

NOTE: These are the admission requirements in place at the time this catalog content was published.

Doctor of Education, Curriculum and Instruction

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction prepares graduates for leadership positions working with teachers and other education professionals in a variety of settings that may include school districts, colleges and universities, state and federal education agencies, and educational non-profit organizations.

Although the courses and the research leading to the Ed.D. are necessarily specialized, the attainment of this degree should not be an isolated event in the enterprise of learning.  The aspirant for the Ed.D. is expected to be a well-educated person and should have acquired a broad base of general knowledge, both as preparation for more advanced work and as a means of knowing how curriculum and instruction is related to other fields of human thought.

Doctoral aspirants should develop a program plan at the first enrollment or promptly thereafter.  A copy of this program should be filed with the Curriculum and Teaching department and the Graduate Division of the School of Education and Human Sciences.

Course Work Requirements

The Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction program is offered in a hybrid format, with courses that meet in person on select Saturdays and evenings during the semester, and the remainder of each course is conducted online. Hybrid programs are not eligible for I-20 or DS-2019 issuance for international student visas.

The following courses must be completed by the end of the semester of the oral comprehensive exam. A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained to remain in good academic standing. 

The Ed.D. program is a cohort model that begins each fall and is designed to be completed in a structured, 3-year cycle. To complete the program in 3 years, the course sequence below should be followed. Additional requirements for the degree, including enrollment in dissertation hours for doctoral candidacy, are described below the grid.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
EPSY 715, Understanding Research in Education (3 credit hours), is mandatory if not completed, or an equivalent was not completed, in the student's master's program. EPSY 715 credits will not count toward fulfillment of the Ed.D. requirements.
C&T 925	Introduction to the Curriculum & Instruction Doctor of Education Program	3
C&T 802	Curriculum Planning for Educational Settings	3
C&T 806	Instructional Strategies and Models	3
ELPS 872	Quantitative Methods for Research in Educational Leadership	3
C&T 803	Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction	3
C&T 902	Directed Readings	3
C&T 970	Fostering Teacher Growth and Inquiry	3
C&T 995	Field Experience in: _____ (A supervised, directed field practicum that will inform a Research Action Plan. Students will enroll in 1 credit hour in the fall, and 2 credit hours the following spring.)	3
C&T 808	Qualitative Research: Curriculum Inquiry Fulfills the "Responsible Conduct of Research" requirement	3
C&T 971	Planning and Conducting Educator Inquiry in Professional Settings	3
C&T 980	Seminar in Mixed Methods Research	3
C&T 972	Connecting Professional Growth and Student Learning	3
C&T 990	Capstone Seminar	3
Total Hours		39

Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship

The University requires that every doctoral student receive training in responsible scholarship pertinent to the field of research and obtain research skills pertinent to the doctoral level of research in their field(s). These requirements must be completed by the end of the semester that the student takes the oral comprehensive exam. For students in the Curriculum and Instruction Ed.D. program, this requirement is fulfilled by: 

• Completion of ELPS 872, C&T 808, and C&T 980.
• Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research requirement (fulfilled by completion of C&T 808).

Please refer to the Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship policy for details.

Other Degree Requirements

• Completion of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Period of Continuous Study: Enrollment in two consecutive semesters following one of the three patterns outlined below:

• Spring enrollment of 6 credit hours and fall enrollment of 6 credit hours;
• Spring enrollment of 6 credit hours and summer enrollment of 3 credit hours;
• Summer enrollment of 3 credit hours and fall enrollment of 6 credit hours.

Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams

Students will complete written and oral comprehensive exams as follows:  The written component is comprised of three questions from the exam committee, two of which are standard questions for all Ed.D. students, and one question that is specific to the student's area of research interest.  The exam committee evaluates the written responses.  If they vote to approve the written responses, the student may proceed to the oral component of the exam.  Both the written and oral components of the comprehensive exam must be approved by the exam committee before the student is allowed to proceed with dissertation proposal preparation.

Enrollment Requirements Post-Comprehensive Exam

Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student becomes a candidate for the Ed.D. degree and is approved to proceed with their dissertation research and project. At least once per semester or more often as required by the faculty advisor and dissertation committee, the student, faculty advisor, and/or other members of the dissertation committee must meet to discuss progress toward the completion of the dissertation and any other concerns.

Starting the semester following successful completion of the oral comprehensive exam, students must enroll in accordance with Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs' Doctoral Candidacy Policy. This policy includes, but is not limited to, at least 1 dissertation hour every semester until graduation.  See the Doctoral Candidacy Policy for more information about this University level requirement.

Dissertation Proposal

• Approval by the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) of all research projects involving human subjects (if applicable).
• Committee approval of the candidate's dissertation proposal, filed with the Graduate Division of the School of Education and Human Sciences, before the candidate is allowed to continue working toward the dissertation defense. 
  • After successfully passing the comprehensive examination, students will have three semesters (including summer) to present a proposal to the dissertation committee. If the proposal is rejected by the dissertation committee, the student must resubmit a proposal the following semester. If the second attempt at the proposal is rejected, the student is dismissed from the program. Exceptions to the above policy would be given only if the student submits verification of extenuating circumstances preventing progress.
  • The dissertation proposal typically consists of the first three chapters of the dissertation.

Dissertation and Final Oral Defense

The dissertation must be an original work of research that advances the field of Curriculum and Instruction and complies with Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs’ Doctoral Dissertation policy. Upon approval by the student's committee that the student’s dissertation research and written document is complete, the student must defend the dissertation before all committee members in the “final oral examination,” or dissertation defense. The final dissertation defense includes a public presentation of the dissertation research by the candidate and concludes with a period of questioning by the committee, faculty, and public in attendance. After posing questions to the student about the dissertation work, committee members deliberate and vote on a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. A grade of Satisfactory requires a majority vote, and may be contingent on the completion of specific revisions by a designated due date. The committee may also recommend that a student earning a satisfactory grade be considered for Honors by the Department. Honors are conferred at graduation by the Department, reflecting outstanding work in all aspects of the doctoral program

• Please refer to additional information about dissertation requirements in the KU Policy Library - Doctoral Dissertation.
• Completion of the doctoral dissertation following all formatting and style requirements as directed by the candidate's dissertation committee and Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs.
• As a requirement of graduation, after the successful dissertation defense and committee approval, the candidate must arrange publication of the dissertation to UMI/ProQuest and payment of all applicable fees.
• Application for degree and completion of required doctoral surveys and release forms as directed by the School of Education and Human Sciences Graduate Division Office.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• Develop a critical and reflective awareness of social, global, and cultural differences.
• Access, evaluate, and use qualitative and/or quantitative information to identify patterns, formulate and support interpretations.
• Establish, grow, and sustain productive relationships to effectively address key issues facing local, national, or global communities and solve problems that advance society.
• Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in a range of contexts using a variety of means and modalities. 
• Apply cognitive skills and a broad array of knowledge to promote inquiry, discover solutions, and generate new ideas and creative works.