The Doctor of Philosophy Program in Education ( 90 credits) is intended for individuals who want to extend their careers beyond the M.A. level. The program is designed to allow students to benefit from a multi-faceted approach to the study of issues in education, concentrating on the perspective most appropriate to their area of interest.
The Doctoral Program offers four areas of specialization: Applied Linguistics, Child Studies, Educational Studies, and Educational Technology. Click on each to read brief descriptions of each Specialization, reflecting the unifying themes.
Applications crossing two or more areas of specialization will be very favorably received.
With a primary focus in one of the four areas of specialization, a student can combine other areas of concentration to build a cross-disciplinary and multi-method research project. In addition, students can work with faculty members whose research populations range from students in English and French early childhood settings, elementary and secondary schools, individuals who are developmentally challenged, and adult learners in academic, industry, government and NGO settings.
The doctoral program is designed to provide a research degree. Persons interested in the program should have a general interest and background in education, an aptitude for scholarly work, and specific academic goals for seeking entrance to the program. The doctorate is differentiated from other forms of research by rigorous scholarship. Accordingly, a successful applicant to our program will articulate how the project which he or she aspires to complete will develop high-level research skills.
In short, the Education Doctoral Program aims to attract students seeking educational opportunities at the highest possible level, demonstrating excellence in scholarship, and dedicated to working independently towards a set of clearly articulated objectives.
The field of Education is extremely broad and diverse, both drawing from and contributing to sister fields in the social sciences (e.g., Psychology, Sociology), and humanities (e.g., Philosophy).. At the heart of our various specializations is a concern for human learning and performance at the individual (child to adult), defined group (local, cultural, corporate, etc.), community, and national/global level. Our research interests range along the continuum from early childhood through aging adult. Our methods are well-grounded but eclectic and context-driven, from ethnographic to controlled experimental methodologies. Our epistemologies span the social science gambit.