Education, Ph.D.
(Culture, Curriculum and Change)

Program Description

Overview

The Ph.D. in Education prepares leaders in educational research who can meet challenges ranging from the social-emotional needs of diverse student populations to designing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs within cultural contexts. The UNC program is designed to foster collaboration among faculty and students from diverse disciplines, thus providing the opportunity to develop relevant research agendas. Graduates of the Ph.D. program are prepared for leadership positions in research and teaching at major universities and institutes.

The Ph.D. in Education is organized as a single program with three emphases: Culture, Curriculum and Change; Early Childhood, Intervention and Literacy; and Educational Psychology, Measurement and Evaluation.

Culture, Curriculum and Change

The Culture, Curriculum and Change (CCC) research emphasis focuses on the study of educational change and reform through perspectives derived from curriculum studies, educational policy and social foundations. The CCC specialty accommodates a range of individual interests, including traditional curriculum disciplines, teacher education, gender studies and cultural studies.

During their first semester of study, all Ph.D. in Education students enroll in a school-wide proseminar, a school-wide research methods seminar, a specialty proseminar, and a one-hour supervised research experience. The program requires a total of twelve credit hours of research methods, with two courses required and two courses determined by each student in consultation with her/his committee.

During the second, third, and fourth semesters of study, students enroll with individual faculty for one credit hour of supervised research and writing. The student and his or her program of study committee determine the remaining courses in the 48-credit-hour program. Students in the Ph.D. program are required to maintain full-time enrollment through the completion of course work, with the expectation that they will graduate in three to four years.

Admissions

A master's degree is required before entering the Ph.D. program.

Program Contact

George Noblit, Program Coordinator
gwn@email.unc.edu
(919) 962-2513