Although the courses and the research leading to the Ph.D. are necessarily specialized, the attainment of this degree should not be an isolated event in the enterprise of learning.  The aspirant for the Ph.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.

The Curriculum and Instruction Ph.D. program is typically completed in 4 to 5 years, but students are allowed 8 years to complete the program.  The program may be completed in approximately 66 credit hours, but the total hours may vary, depending on when the dissertation is completed and successfully defended.

Curriculum and Instruction Ph.D. students must complete the following mandatory enrollment and additional degree requirements.  Additional coursework as described below will be selected in consultation with the faculty advisor to create an individualized program that best suits the student's academic research interests.

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 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. 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 Ph.D. requirements.
Required for all Curriculum & Instruction Ph.D. students
C&T 922	Introduction to the Curriculum & Instruction Doctor of Philosophy Program (Completed in the initial fall term.)	1
C&T 800	Foundations of Curriculum Development (Completed in the initial fall term.)	3
EDUC 800	Education as a Field of Scholarship (Typically completed in the initial fall term.)	3
C&T 996	Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom	3
Research Skills courses selected in consultation with the student's faculty advisor (basic and applied research skills, including statistics, research design, and related requirements appropriate to the degree)		12
Additional enrollment as described below, in consultation with the student's faculty advisor		26
Total Hours		48

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 Ph.D. program, this requirement is fulfilled by: 

• Completion of a minimum of 12 research skills credits as noted above in the course grid.
• Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research requirement (may be fulfilled by completion of EDUC 800 or C&T 808).

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

Other Degree Requirements

• The Curriculum and Instruction Ph.D. program of study must include a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours taken at the University of Kansas, exclusive of dissertation credits and the research requirement.  At least 18 of these hours are recommended to be in the area of Curriculum and Instruction. A minimum of 18 of the 36 hours must be at the 800-level or above, and at least 6 of these hours must be outside of the area of study.
• Submission of the College Teaching Experience Verification form, which describes the supervised college teaching experience.  This experience may or may not be completed concurrently with enrollment in C&T 996 but must be completed prior to obtaining clearance to proceed with the comprehensive exams.
• Completion of the Engagement and Enrollment in Doctoral Programs requirement – 2 semesters, usually consecutive, must be spent in resident study at the University of Kansas.

Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams

• Students will have a comprehensive exam committee that will provide them with questions based on their program of study.  Students will respond to these questions first in written form.  The committee will evaluate the written exam.  If the committee votes to approve the written exam responses, the student will be allowed to move forward to the oral comprehensive exam.  Both components of the comprehensive exam must be passed before the student is allowed to move forward to dissertation proposal preparation.

Students will find additional details concerning the comprehensive exams on the Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs website.

Enrollment Requirements Post-Comprehensive Exam

Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.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.