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Curriculum and Instruction - Ph.D.

The Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) program offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree to qualified students interested in issues related to educational research with a C&I focus. Upon completion of the program, students will have gained insight into what it means to transition from doctoral student to disciplined scholar.

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Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction

Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction provides targeted education in curriculum and instruction studies. This program offers career benefits for students looking to specialize in curriculum and instruction.

More About This Program

Eight concentrations are available within the C&I Ph.D. program. Students must select a concentration when they apply to the program. A link to the prospectus for each concentration is provided below under our quick links.


Graduate Assistantships

Students in the master's and doctoral graduate programs may apply for graduate assistantships (although master’s assistantships are rarely awarded). A graduate assistant typically supports instruction, research, or administrative duties beneficial both to the appointee's professional development and to the School of TLC. To apply, please submit the Graduate Assistantship Application (linked from the Graduate Student Services Forms page) to the School’s Business Manager, Sherry Ernsberger: sernsber@kent.edu.

Important additional information:

  • Admission to a graduate program does not come with funding, financial aid, or the guarantee of a graduate assistantship. Admissions and funding are two different processes.
  • You must be fully admitted to the graduate program and have applied for an assistantship by March 31st to qualify for full consideration for a graduate assistantship within the Curriculum & Instruction Program. It is to your advantage to apply early; once funds have been expended, no further assistantships will be awarded.
  • Assistantships are typically awarded for the academic year (starting in August and ending in May).
  • Offers of assistantships are based on both the qualifications of the applicants, and the positions and funds available within the School during a given year. We receive applications from many more qualified applicants than we are able to support with our limited resources. Because of this, you might not receive an assistantship even if you have been fully admitted to the graduate program and submit your assistantship application correctly and on time.
Application Process

Once an applicant's file is complete, the Admissions office forwards it to the C&I Program for review by C&I faculty members. Interviews with two or three C&I faculty members are also completed. These interviews may be conducted in-person, online, or by phone.

Admission decisions are made throughout the year on a rolling basis. Please be advised that while applications to the C&I Ph.D. are accepted all year, to ensure an application is reviewed for admission, an applicant should have submitted all required admissions paperwork and completed all interviews before the application deadline (see Admissions tab, below).

Two Phases of the Doctoral Program

Advisory Phase

Once admitted into a C&I Doctoral program, students will be assigned an initial advisor or advisors from the C&I faculty in order to initiate the advisory phase.

Within the first three semesters of their course work, a student must organize an academic advisory committee. The advisory committee may or may not include the initial advisor(s). A student will then work with their advisory committee to complete a doctoral study prospectus (i.e., the plan of academic work during the advisory phase).

In addition to completing coursework requirements, students must also develop and implement a residency plan. The plan should include professional activities normally associated with life in an educational research institution and academic community setting (e.g., attendance and presentations at professional conferences, professional writing and publications, teaching undergraduate courses, workshops, attendance at doctoral defenses). Students may complete these activities collaboratively with faculty members or fellow doctoral students.

Upon completion of the coursework and other requirements listed on the student's prospectus and residency plan, the student engages in written and oral comprehensive examinations that cover academic work accomplished during the advisory phase. After the comprehensive examinations have been successfully completed, the student enters into Candidacy, better known as the dissertation phase of the doctoral program. At this point, the student's advisory phase committee is dissolved. The student is then responsible for organizing a dissertation committee.

Candidacy Phase

The Ph.D. candidate organizes their dissertation committee. This committee contains a minimum of three C&I faculty members and one faculty member from a Â鶹´«Ã½ Ph.D. program other than Curriculum and Instruction (C&I).

The student works with the established committee to successfully write and defend a dissertation proposal. The student then proceeds through the dissertation process. The committee supervises the research progress and evaluates the final product. Once the student has successfully defended the dissertation, they receive the Ph.D.

Program Information for Curriculum and Instruction - Ph.D.

Program Description

Full Description

The Ph.D. degree in Curriculum and Instruction prepares scholars for successful careers in college and university settings and produces curriculum leaders for schools and other educational institutions. The program is relevant for qualified students interested in issues related to educational research with a curriculum and instruction focus. Upon completion of the program, students will have gained insight into what it means to transition from doctoral student to disciplined scholar.

The major comprises the following concentrations:

  • Adapted/Physical Education
  • Curriculum and Teaching Studies
  • Educational Technology
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics Education
  • Science Education
  • Social Studies Education
Admissions for Curriculum and Instruction - Ph.D.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

  • Master's degree from an accredited college or university
  • Minimum 2.750 graduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale (minimum 3.500 graduate GPA is recommended)
  • Official transcript(s)
  • Résumé or curriculum vitae
  • Application essay
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Interview
  • English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:1
    • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
    • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
    • Minimum 58 PTE score
    • Minimum 110 DET score
1

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester
    • Application Deadline: July 15
  • Spring Semester
    • Application Deadline: November 15
  • Summer Term
    • Application Deadline: April 15 (domestic students only)

Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered on a space-available basis.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the program will be able to:

  1. Practice research-based leadership.
  2. Function as responsible, informed researchers in a specific curriculum and instruction area of study and professional practice.
  3. Establish a disciplined life of inquiry.
  4. Conduct research informed by multicultural education literature.
Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements
CI 87000THEORY AND RESEARCH IN TEACHING 3
CI 87001THEORY AND RESEARCH IN CURRICULUM 3
CI 87002FORMS OF INQUIRY IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION 3
RMS 75510STATISTICS I FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES 3
RMS 85515QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 3
RMS 85516QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN 3
RMS 85517ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES 13
or RMS 85518 ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Educational Foundations Course 23
Culminating Requirement
CI 80089RESIDENCY I 3
CI 80090RESIDENCY II 3
CI 80199DISSERTATION I 330
Concentrations
Choose from the following:12
Minimum Total Credit Hours:72
1

Students may complete another specialized research methods course with approval.

2

Course must be approved by student's prospectus committee.

3

Upon admission to candidacy, each doctoral candidate must register for CI 80199. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I for a total of 30 credit hours, and thereafter CI 80299, each semester until all requirements for the degree have been met.

Adapted/Physical Education Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:12
CI 75592
PRACTICUM IN ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION
CI 77096
INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
CI 85025
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SPORT PEDAGOGY - AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
CI 85037
ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION
CI 85044
PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT
CI 85055
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN SPORT PEDAGOGY
Other doctoral-level course, with advisor approval
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Curriculum and Teaching Studies Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:12
CI 71130
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION: STRATEGIES
CI 77002
CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP
CI 77003
TEACHER EDUCATION
CI 77005
INTERCULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
CI 77010
CURRICULUM EVALUATION
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Educational Technology Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
ETEC 77420RESEARCH ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 3
ETEC 77491SEMINAR: EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 3
ETEC 87450LEARNING WITH EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES 3
Educational Technology (ETEC) Doctoral-Level Elective (70000 or 80000 level)3
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Early Childhood Education Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:12
ECED 70152
APPLICATION OF SELECTED THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN
ECED 70158
RECONCEPTUALIZING EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM
ECED 70163
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND TRENDS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
ECED 70170
WRITING FOR PUBLICATION AND DISSEMINATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
ECED 80298
RESEARCH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Literacy Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
CI 87340RESEARCH IN READING 3
CI 87342SEMINAR IN READING AND LANGUAGE 3
CI 87343RESEARCH IN TEACHING OF WRITING 3
CI 87398RESEARCH IN READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS 3
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Mathematics Education Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
CI 77225RESEARCH IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION 3
CI 87791DOCTORAL SEMINAR IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION 3
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:6
CI 77095
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
CI 77224
TEACHING MATHEMATICS USING COMPUTERS AND CALCULATORS
CI 77226
IMPROVING MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Science Education Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
CI 71133ISSUES AND TRENDS IN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE 3
CI 71134RESEARCH TRENDS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION 3
CI 71140CULTURE AND MULTICULTURALISM IN SCIENCE EDUCATION 3
CI 71141NATURE OF SCIENCE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION 3
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Social Studies Education Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:12
CI 71124
EDUCATING THE GOOD CITIZEN
CI 71125
ISSUES AND TRENDS IN SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION
CI 71126
RESEARCH IN SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHING AND LEARNING
CI 71127
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL STUDIES
CI 77095
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Minimum Total Credit Hours:12

Graduation Requirements

Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
- 3.000
  • Students may be required to take an introductory course on fundamentals of curriculum and other additional coursework, as well as research activities that support their scholarly interests in the context of doctoral socialization.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

The course phase of study culminates with a written and oral comprehensive examination that is created and evaluated by each doctoral student’s prospectus committee. Students choose one of the following options for the written component:

  • Eight-hour in-class written examination
  • Take-home written examination
  • Written examination and portfolio (this option must be selected when submitting the plan of study)

Once doctoral students have passed the comprehensive examination, they organize a dissertation committee, which supervises their dissertation research project.

Program Delivery
  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Curriculum and Instruction - Ph.D.

Those who complete the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Â鶹´«Ã½ can benefit from specialized career opportunities in the curriculum and instruction industry.

Education teachers, postsecondary

4.8%

about as fast as the average

77,300

number of jobs

$65,440

potential earnings

Instructional coordinators

5.9%

faster than the average

192,900

number of jobs

$66,970

potential earnings

Additional Careers
  • University Professor

* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

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