About The Program
Our urban setting keeps us in step with equity and social justice issues, creating the perfect background for the next generation of leaders who will advance research, policy and practice. Through an interdisciplinary approach to studying leadership and policy, our program offers a deep understanding of the many societal and organizational barriers to equal educational opportunity. Beyond
Career Paths
- Inclusion professional
- Think tank policy advocate
- Government researcher
- School or district leader
- Academic (Tenure or non-tenure track)
- Leader in higher education
- Policy analyst
At a Glance
Degree Earned
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Credits: 60
Application Semesters and Deadlines
Summer/Fall: January 15
Program Modality
In-person
Estimated Completion Time
Full-time (9-15 credits): average completion in 3-4 years
Part-time (1-8 credits): average completion in 4-5 years
"This program inspires you to have a vision of leadership grounded in social justice and equity; you dig into research and policy, and begin to question everything based on this lens, and this ignites your passion to change the status quo.”
Emiola Oyefuga, Ph.D., '20
Admission requirements
| Degree: | Semester(s) of entry: | Deadline dates: | Test requirements: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Summer or fall | Jan 15 | GRE optional |
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following represent the minimum requirements for admission:
- Master’s degree in an appropriate discipline
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
- Statement of intent
- Transcripts of all previous college work
- A personal interview and additional writing sample (may be requested)
- Professional vitae/resume
If an applicant chooses to submit a GRE score, it will be considered holistically with other application materials. If an applicant chooses not to submit a GRE score, that decision will have no impact on the application review.
Please visit the School of Education website for further information.
Degree requirements
In addition to the VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.
- Credit hour requirements: Students are required to complete a minimum of 60 credit hours.
- Grade requirements: Receipt of a grade of C or below in three courses constitutes automatic dismissal from the program. Courses with a grade below C cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
- Externship requirement: Students must complete an approved externship.
- Examination requirements: Students must pass both a qualifying examination early in the program and a comprehensive examination near the end of the program.
- Dissertation requirements: Students must complete and defend a research dissertation.
Curriculum requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | ||
| EDUS 702 EDUS 702. Foundations of Educational Research and Doctoral Scholarship I. 3 Hours.
3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This interdisciplinary seminar is the first part of a two-semester sequence. Students will learn about the nature of scholarly inquiry and the worth of situating research within its wider social and political contexts. Course will deal with limitations of knowledge and knowing and aid students in understanding major themes in the field of epistemology. Emphasis will be given to the nature and structure of knowledge and evidence, justification of beliefs, beliefs about "truth," naturalized epistemology and the role of skepticism in inquiry and advanced study. EDUS 702 and 703 are continuous courses. | Foundations of Educational Research and Doctoral Scholarship I | 3 |
| EDUS 703 EDUS 703. Foundations of Educational Research and Doctoral Scholarship II. 3 Hours.
3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: EDUS 702. This interdisciplinary semester is the second part of a two-semester sequence. Students will deepen their understanding of scientific inquiry and apply an understanding of epistemology to a critical analysis of various philosophies of research and paradigms that exist (e.g.: positivism, constructivism, etc.). Emphasis will be placed on the relationships among research, politics, policy and ethics. Examples will be drawn from research on urban issues and deal with issues such as race, class and gender in education. EDUS 702 and 703 are continuous courses. | Foundations of Educational Research and Doctoral Scholarship II | 3 |
| Research | ||
| EDUS 608 EDUS 608. Educational Statistics. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. An introductory-level statistics class focusing primarily on techniques of inferential analysis. The course focuses on basic concepts in quantitative design and analysis for educational research, probability theory, null hypothesis significance testing, inferential statistics including the t-test and analysis of variance, and applications of statistics to applied problems in education. | Educational Statistics | 3 |
| EDUS 710 EDUS 710. Quantitative Research Design. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: EDUS 608 or equivalent. An examination of quantitative research designs and concepts commonly utilized in conducting research in applied educational settings. Fundamental principles of research are extended to cover such topics as experimental designs, quasi-experimental designs, observational designs, secondary data analysis, advanced analysis of variance designs and multiple regression analysis. | Quantitative Research Design | 3 |
| EDUS 711 EDUS 711. Qualitative Methods and Analysis. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: graduate-level statistics course, and EDUS 660 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Examines qualitative research designs and inductive analysis, including research traditions, problems formulation in fieldwork, purposeful sampling, interactive data collection strategies, research reliability and validity. An interdisciplinary approach is used. Students conduct a small field study in their specialization. | Qualitative Methods and Analysis | 3 |
| • Collaborative research | 3 | |
EDUC 697 EDUC 697. Collaborative Scholarship. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 research hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This research course is designed to develop, apply and refine the research/scholarship skills and interests of students under the guidance and supervision of a faculty mentor. Activities will be monitored and evaluated by university faculty. Graded S/U/F. | Collaborative Scholarship | |
or EDUC 797 EDUC 797. Directed Research. 1-9 Hours.
Semester course; 1-9 variable hours. 1-9 credits. Enrollment restricted to students who have completed first-year Ph.D. courses in education or by permission of program director. The course provides doctoral students the opportunity to do hands-on research prior to the dissertation project that is relevant to their substantive area or individual learning needs. The topic and specific project will be initiated by the student and implemented in collaboration with a School of Education faculty member. A proposal for a directed research course must be submitted that specifies how the student will gain experience, knowledge and skills in one or more aspects of conducting a research project. Graded S/U/F. | Directed Research | |
| • Research elective | 3 | |
| Externship | ||
| EDUC 700 EDUC 700. Externship. 1-6 Hours.
Semester course; 1-6 practicum hours. 1-6 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits. Enrollment requires permission of department. Plan of work designed by extern with prior approval of the offering department. State certification or equivalent may be required for some externships. Off-campus planned experiences for advanced graduate students designed to extend professional competencies, carried out in a setting, under supervision of an approved professional. Externship activities monitored and evaluated by university faculty. | Externship | 3 |
| Dissertation | ||
| EDUC 899 EDUC 899. Dissertation Research. 1-9 Hours.
Semester course; 1-9 variable hours. 1-9 credits. May be repeated. A minimum of 6 semester hours required. Enrollment restricted to students who have successfully completed comprehensive examinations. Dissertation work under direction of dissertation committee. Graded as S/U/F. | Dissertation Research (minimum of six credit hours) | 6 |
| EDUS 890 EDUS 890. Dissertation Seminar. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: permission of director of doctoral studies. Designed to develop and refine the skills applicable to the preparation of an acceptable draft of a dissertation prospectus. | Dissertation Seminar | 3 |
| Concentration courses | ||
| ADMS 701 ADMS 701. Education Policy Research. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Examines a set of applied research practices undertaken within a diverse community of scholars and analysts and that have implications for education. Explores processes involved in developing and implementing educational policy. Emphasis is given to the roles of federal and state governments in policymaking with attention to problems encountered in implementing educational policies. Focuses on research approaches relevant to policy research. | Education Policy Research | 3 |
| ADMS 703 ADMS 703. Leadership for Social Justice and Equity in Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture/seminar hours. 3 credits. Students will study and engage in dialogue related to the critical role of education in a democratic society in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. Through a focused discussion of theories and concepts such as democratic schools, social justice, critical theory and power, feminism, critical race theory, and difference/normalization, students come to understand the possible roles education can play in society and their need to continuously reflect on their own vision for leadership in public schools. | Leadership for Social Justice and Equity in Education | 3 |
| ADMS 704 ADMS 704. Education Finance Policy and the Equitable Distribution of Resources. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. In addition to a traditional examination of some of the aspects of the economic, legal, financial and budgeting policies affecting the equitable distribution of education resources in the U.S., the social justice implications associated with several established theories and policies in the field of education finance are examined. Specific topics include the historical and philosophical perspectives of U.S. education finance; education finance reform litigation; conceptions and measurements of equity, adequacy and efficiency in school finance designs; the role of federal, state and local governance in equitable education finance in the U.S.;, and the resource needs and organizational and fiscal implications of serving special populations in U.S. schools. | Education Finance Policy and the Equitable Distribution of Resources | 3 |
| ADMS 707 ADMS 707. The Politics of Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Examination of how the political structure of public education determines the nature of schooling. Study of political theory of education, macropolitics of education and schooling from micropolitical perspective leading to synthesis and development of critical understanding of the politics of education. | The Politics of Education | 3 |
| ADMS 708 ADMS 708. Equal Educational Opportunity in the 21st Century Metropolis: Toward a Policy Framework. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course provides an overview of the economic, political and demographic shifts that have transformed metropolitan school systems over the past half century. Emphasis is given to the trajectory of education policy and leadership in light of these altered metropolitan spaces. Participants will evaluate the successes and pitfalls of contemporary and historical reforms as they relate to the distribution of educational opportunity across the urban/suburban/exurban divide. Culminating activities help students develop a framework for future policy efforts with a focus on the Richmond metro area. | Equal Educational Opportunity in the 21st Century Metropolis: Toward a Policy Framework | 3 |
| ADMS 709 ADMS 709. U.S. Educational Policy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course will promote a critical examination and evaluation of the major strands of educational policy over the past half century. | U.S. Educational Policy | 3 |
| EDUS 712 EDUS 712. Mixed Methods Research. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: graduate-level statistics course, EDUS 660 and EDUS 711 or equivalents, or permission of instructor. Examines mixed methods research designs, including the major philosophical perspectives of mixed methodology, as well as the challenges and strategies for data collection and analysis procedures across designs. | Mixed Methods Research | 3 |
| Elective (any graduate-level School of Education course) 1 | 3 | |
| Elective (any graduate-level course offered outside of the School of Education) 2 | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Any graduate level School of Education course includes course subjects ADLT, ADMS, CLED, ECSE, EDLP, EDUC, EDUS, IDDS, READ, SEDP or TEDU.
Any graduate level course taken outside of the School of Education excludes course subjects ADLT, ADMS, CLED, ECSE, EDLP, EDUC, EDUS, IDDS, READ, SEDP or TEDU.
The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 60.
Students who complete the requirements for this concentration will receive a Doctor of Philosophy in Education.
The VCU Bulletin is the official source for academic course and program information.