how to get your phd in education

The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences: PhD in Education

• The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences
• BS in Elementary Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Special Education (K- Age 21)
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Educational Leadership and Administration (Principal Preparation) Program (Semester)
• BS in Early Childhood Studies
• MS in Developmental Psychology
• MS in Early Childhood Studies
• MS in Education (Semester)
• MS in Health Education and Promotion
• MS in Higher Education
• MS in Instructional Design and Technology (Semester)
• MS in Psychology
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Early Childhood Education
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Educational Administration and Leadership
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Educational Technology
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Learning, Instruction, and Innovation
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Reading, Literacy, and Assessment
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Special Education
• Doctor of Education (EdD)
• PhD in Developmental Psychology
• PhD in Education

Note on Teacher Licensure or Certification

Learning outcomes, degree requirements, master of philosophy (embedded degree).

• Doctoral Writing Assessment

8-Year Maximum Time Frame

• PhD in Health Education and Promotion
• BS in Child Development
• MS in Instructional Design and Technology (Quarter)
• MS in Education (Quarter)
• Education Specialist (EdS) in Educational Leadership and Administration (Principal Preparation) Program (Quarter)

Program Website  

The PhD in Education is a research-focused program that produces outstanding professionals who can address the nation’s most pressing challenges in the field of education. Specializations in a variety of established and newly emerging fields and a general program are available. For those educators whose particular learning interests are not met by one of the specializations or whose interests are interdisciplinary, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Services also offers a self-designed specialization to meet their unique needs.

The PhD in Education learning outcomes will be demonstrated through numerous direct and indirect measures in each of the PhD specializations.

This program does not lead to teacher licensure or certification. Teachers are advised to contact their individual school districts as to whether this program may qualify for salary advancement.

At the end of this program, the education professional will be able to:

• Synthesize content knowledge grounded in a specific educational discipline.
• Critically analyze education-related issues.
• Align research methodologies to questions and hypotheses addressing problems in the discipline of education.
• Communicate ideas to a variety of audiences related to the profession using oral and written scholarly formats.
• Practice ethically as a scholar in the field of education.
• Integrate a focus on global diversity and multiculturalism into solving problems in education.
• Evaluate the role of education in advancing social justice and positive social change.
• Foundation course (5 credits)
• Specialization courses (30 credits)
• Doctoral support courses (6 credits)
• Research courses (20 credits)
• Prospectus course (5 credits)
• Doctoral Dissertation course (5 credits per term for a minimum of four terms)
• Four PhD residencies

These courses are dependent upon the particular specialization. Please see the course list on each specialization page.

Foundation Course (5 credits)

• Students may take this as a non-degree course.

Core Research Sequence (15 credits)

Courses composing the core research sequence are conducted online and require weekly readings, participation in discussions, and assignment completion. Course instructors guide discussions and evaluate discussion and application assignments. RSCH 8110 must be completed prior to Residency 2 of the academic residencies.RSCH 8210 and RSCH 8310 must be completed prior to beginning the dissertation or attending Residency 3.

Advanced Research Course (5 credits)

Those enrolled in this specialization are required to complete an advanced research course. The university offers three advanced research courses: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods. When the prospectus is approved, students will take the advanced research course selected as the methodology approved for the dissertation.   Students are required to complete one of the following courses:

• Students may take this a non-degree course.

Specialization Courses

Changing specializations may increase a student’s expected time-to-degree completion and cost.

Specialization in Curriculum Instruction Assessment and Evaluation

Specialization in early childhood leadership and advocacy, specialization in early childhood special education, specialization in education policy, leadership, and management (p–20), specialization in educational technology and design, specialization in higher education leadership, management, and policy, specialization in higher education, leadership, and policy (self-designed), specialization in learning, instruction, and innovation, specialization in organizational research, assessment, and evaluation, specialization in p–20 education (self-designed), specialization in reading, literacy, assessment, and evaluation, residency requirements.

• Complete Residency 1 as soon as you begin your program ; should be completed within 90 days of completing your Foundations course (EDPD 8002/EDPD 8006/EDUC 8110).
• Complete Residency 2 after RSCH 8100/RSCH 8110.
• Complete Residency 3 after RSCH 8200/8210 and RSCH 8300/8310.
• Residency 4 General  (RESI 8404) OR
• Residency 4 Proposal Writing  (RESI 8404Q) OR
• Residency 4 Methods & Data Collection: Qualitative  (RESI 8404R) OR
• Residency 4 Methods & Data Collection: Quantitative  (RESI 8404S) OR
• Residency 4 Publishing & Presenting  (RESI 8404T) OR
• a dissertation intensive (DRWI 8500). Contact Student Success Advising to register.  NOTE: Intensive Retreats are NOT included in Fast Track tuition.

Doctoral Support Courses (6 credits)

Completion of the doctoral capstone (5 credits per term for a minimum of four terms = 20 credits).

Walden awards the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree to recognize PhD students for academic achievement leading up to their dissertation. With an MPhil, students will be able to demonstrate to employers and others that they have an advanced knowledge base in their field of study as well as proficiency in research design and evaluation.

• All required PhD core courses (or KAMs)
• All required PhD specialization courses (or KAMs)
• All required doctoral research and advanced research courses
• Program prospectus development course
• Residencies 1, 2, and 3
• A minimum 3.0 GPA is mandatory.
• The MPhil requires a minimum of 45 quarter credits. Maximum transfer of credit varies by program but is not to exceed 50% of the overall, or embedded, program requirements. Students who previously completed a master's degree with Walden in the same discipline area are not eligible for an MPhil.

Students who start or readmit to doctoral programs at Walden University in the university catalog for academic year 2017 or later will complete the university’s required  doctoral writing assessment . Designed to evaluate incoming doctoral students’ writing skills, this assessment aims to help prepare incoming doctoral students to meet the university’s expectations for writing at the doctoral level.

In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.

Students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral degree requirements (see  Enrollment Requirements  in the student handbook). Students may petition to extend the 8-year maximum time frame, but an extension is not guaranteed.

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Doctoral programs.

The goal of the GSE PhD in Education is to prepare the next generation of leading education researchers. The cornerstone of the doctoral experience at the Stanford Graduate School of Education is the research apprenticeship that all students undertake, typically under the guidance of their academic advisor, but often with other Stanford faculty as well.

In this apprenticeship model, doctoral students are provided with a multi-year funding package that consists of opportunities each quarter to serve as teaching and research assistants for faculty members' courses and research projects. By this means, and in combination with the courses they take as part of their program, students are prepared over an approximately five-year period to excel as university teachers and education researchers.

The doctoral degree in Education at the GSE includes doctoral program requirements as well as a specialization, as listed below, overseen by a faculty committee from one of the GSE's three academic areas.

Doctoral programs by academic area

Curriculum studies and teacher education (cte).

• ‌ Elementary Education
• ‌ History/Social Science Education
• ‌ Learning Sciences and Technology Design
• ‌ Literacy, Language, and English Education
• ‌ Mathematics Education
• ‌ Science, Engineering and Technology Education
• ‌ Race, Inequality, and Language in Education
• ‌ Teacher Education

Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS)

• ‌ Developmental and Psychological Sciences

Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS)

• ‌ Anthropology of Education
• ‌ Economics of Education
• ‌ Education Data Science
• ‌ ‌Educational Linguistics
• ‌ Educational Policy
• ‌ Higher Education
• ‌ History of Education
• ‌ International Comparative Education
• ‌ Organizational Studies
• ‌ Philosophy of Education
• ‌ Sociology of Education

Cross-area specializations

Learning sciences and technology design (lstd).

LSTD allows doctoral students to study learning sciences and technology design within the context of their primary program of study (DAPS, CTE, or SHIPS).

Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE)

RILE trains students to become national leaders in conducting research on how race, inequality, and language intersect to make both ineffective and effective educational opportunities. RILE allows students to specialize within their program of study (DAPS, CTE, or SHIPS).

Other academic opportunities

• ‌ Concentration in Education and Jewish Studies
• ‌ PhD Minor in Education
• ‌ Stanford Doctoral Training Program in Leadership for System-wide Inclusive Education (LSIE)
• ‌ Certificate Program in Partnership Research in Education
• ‌ Public Scholarship Collaborative

“I came to Stanford to work with faculty who value learning in informal settings and who are working to understand and design for it.”

Doctoral graduates were employed within four months of graduation

of those employed worked in organizations or roles related to education

For more information about GSE admissions and to see upcoming events and appointments:

To learn more about the Academic Services team:

Stanford Graduate School of Education

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