Introduction
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction prepares graduates for faculty positions at research or teaching universities and for positions as research scientists and post-doctoral fellows at universities or research centers. The Ph.D. program places an emphasis on preparing graduates whose primary interests are to engage in research and scholarship to advance the field of curriculum and instruction. Graduates are prepared to be leaders in the profession by effectively fulfilling responsibilities in the areas of research and scholarship, teaching, and service. The Ph.D. is a cohort program conducted on the Lawrence campus that starts each fall semester, with required courses to help graduates achieve these goals. Students work with an advisor and committee members to choose electives based on individual career goals.
The Ph.D. may include electives such as Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Curriculum and Instruction, Language Arts/English Education, Literacy Education, Mathematics Education, Science Education, Social Studies Education, or Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Education. Doctoral work includes a majority of credit hours in curriculum and instruction, additional hours in basic and applied research skills, and a dissertation involving original research in the student's area of interest.
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
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum & Instruction 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
- 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.
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
Required Courses:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 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 |
| EPSY 715 | Understanding Research in Education (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.) | 3 |
| C&T 996 | Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom | 3 |
- A minimum of 36 graduate credit hours taken at the University of Kansas, exclusive of dissertation credits and the research requirement. At least 24 of these hours must be in the area of Curriculum and Instruction. A minimum of 18 of these hours must be at the 800-level or above, and at least six of these hours must be outside of the area of study.
- A minimum of 12 graduate credit hours in Research Skills (basic and applied research skills, including statistics, research design, and related requirements appropriate to the degree).
- Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research requirement (may be fulfilled by completion of EDUC 800 or C&T 808).
- Enrollment in C&T 996 and 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.
- Successful completion of written and oral comprehensive exams (additional information below).
- Completion of the Post-comprehensive Enrollment requirement.
- Approval by the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) of all research projects involving human subjects (if applicable).
- Committee approval of the dissertation proposal, filed with the Graduate Division of the School of Education and Human Sciences..
- Enrollment in dissertation hours. Please refer to the School of Education and Human Sciences Graduate Regulations section of the Graduate Catalog for detailed enrollment requirements and additional information regarding the dissertation process below.
- Successful defense and submission for publication of the doctoral dissertation.
Additional information regarding the comprehensive exams, dissertation proposal and dissertation.
Note: Contact the home department or program for more information about research skills and responsible scholarship, and current requirements for doctoral students. Current Lawrence and Edwards Campus policies on Doctoral Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship are listed in the KU Policy Library.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Develop a critical and reflective awareness of social, global, and cultural differences (including ability, language, class, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, ethnicity, indigeneity, and/or race).
- 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.
