»Ph.D. in Education Emphases

The Cultural and Curricular Studies (CCS) emphasis prepares students who are seeking careers in teaching, research, and other professions that allow for opportunities to engage with the world in critically, ethically, and politically relevant ways. Our graduates are college and university professors, educational leaders and administrators, school and district specialists, and community-based leaders and organizers. CCS provides candidates with opportunities to develop deeper understandings of structural relations of domination and inequities, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to advance social change in diverse local, national and international contexts. This emphasis is committed to familiarizing students with philosophy and social theory, the history of schooling and educational policy, and the critical pedagogies that have potential for social transformation and humanization across a multitude of social contexts. CCS places a strong value on learning from the histories, practices, and community wisdom of our students and of the diverse communities that have been historically absent in formal educational settings.

CCS Students engage with contemporary developments and controversies in critical pedagogies, feminist theories, social movements, ethnic studies, critical literacies, bilingual education, and policy formation. CCS students engage in a variety of critical, decolonizing, culturally responsive and socially responsible research methodologies across a broad array of interests. Many CCS students engage with the Paulo Freire Democratic Project. The Cultural and Curricular Studies emphasis requires 57 credits composed of (1) foundations and philosophy, (2) inquiry courses, (3) emphasis core courses and electives, (4) and the dissertation.

The Educational Psychology emphasis places a focus on Mental Health in K-12 Schools and is designed to prepare scholars and practitioners to implement effective mental health systems and curricula to address the psychological needs of students. This program emphasizes research and intervention strategies to promote mental well-being and academic success. Students will engage in advanced coursework covering developmental psychology, evidence-based systems-level assessment interventions, and implementing best practices. Research experiences in diverse school settings will provide practical skills in systems-level approaches to mental health. Graduates will be equipped to conduct impactful research, develop effective mental health programs, and advocate for policies that enhance student well-being. This program aims to produce university faculty and other leaders who can make a significant difference in the lives of children and adolescents in educational environments. 

The Teacher Education emphasis prepares students to become teachers and researchers at colleges and universities where they will help prepare the next generation of pre K-12 teachers and administrators. This emphasis is committed to familiarizing students with major developments in theories of learning and research exploring the architecture of the human mind. These research foundations will inform educational policies across subject disciplines and in a variety of educational settings. For graduates that go on to become university faculty in Teacher Education programs, this emphasis prepares them to connect current research on learning to the instructional approaches that new teachers take into their future classrooms. This allows our graduates to expand their sphere of influence from impacting students in a single classroom to impacting the multitude of classrooms their students will instruct in as future teachers.  It also prepares them to conduct research that can improve the pedagogy used to instruct the next generation of K-12 students. This emphasis extends and expands master’s level education in teacher education through in-depth exploration of research, theories, and practices that lead to positive outcomes for all students.

The Teacher Education emphasis requires 57 units composed of (1) foundations and philosophy, (2) inquiry courses, (3) emphasis core courses and electives, (4) and the dissertation.