About The Program
The Ph.D. Concentration of Curriculum, Culture, and Change brings together the fields of social foundations of education, curriculum and instruction, and teacher education. It distinguishes itself by preparing curriculum and instruction leaders to be change agents capable of working in school systems, higher education and advocacy organizations. It reflects an activist stance toward the education profession — one that views schooling as not only shaped by society but also as an active force for equity and meaningful societal change. It will appeal to a wide range of students: those who are seeking to become instructional leaders in school systems, those preparing to teach in the academy and all those desiring a strong foundation in educational reform.
Career Paths
- Academic Researcher/Professor specializing in curriculum studies, teacher education, social foundations, cultural studies, or educational change
- Curriculum Developer or Coordinator focusing on innovative curriculum design
- Educational Policy Analyst or Consultant
- Program Evaluator in educational contexts
- Educational Leadership roles in schools or districts
- Educational Researcher in think tanks or research institutions
- Director of Curriculum and Instruction
- Educational Change Agent or Advocate
At a Glance
Degree Earned
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Credits: 60
Application Semesters and Deadlines
Summer and 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
Program Highlight
This PhD concentration integrates social foundations of education, curriculum and instruction, and teacher education.
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 curriculum and instruction, teaching and learning, educational philosophy or related 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 | ||
| EDUS 706 EDUS 706. Educational Theory and Praxis in Historical and Contemporary Contexts. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This seminar focuses on philosophies of education with particular attention paid to ways of thinking about seminal ideas and their relationships to education and social, institutional, economic and cultural change in the U.S. It considers how broader social phenomena affect the purposes and structures of educational institutions as well as how educational change affects wider society. Additionally, it highlights challenges for social change within and through public schools given institutional, social and political influences. Key topics include: schooling for democracy; progressivism, pragmatism and education; eco-education; behaviorism and social utopias; multiculturalism/pluralism; contemporary political educational discourse; and the roles of theory/philosophy in education.
This course offers opportunity for students to engage with theories of social change that place education/schooling at the center. It provides space for students to develop a philosophical framework for their work as well as a means to deepen their understandings of educational research, policy and theory. Finally, this course requires students to begin to put their ideas into action in educational and other social contexts by means of a community engagement/organization component. The worth of engaging with and not just learning about the curriculum, culture and change is a core value of the program and in this course we will work hard to both study about and participate in the overlapping worlds of theory/academia and education-related social action. | Educational Theory and Praxis in Historical and Contemporary Contexts | 3 |
| EDUS 707 EDUS 707. Socio-cultural Perspectives on Schooling, Society and Change. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This seminar focuses on the critical analysis of contemporary schooling in the U.S. and investigates how educational institutions work from a sociological-cultural perspective. The structure of schooling is analyzed through such topics as the social organization of schooling, stratification within and among schools, youth culture and student peer groups, curriculum and the stratification of knowledge, and equality of educational opportunity as mitigated by such factors as social class, race, ethnicity and gender. Discussions about current social theories and debates in education are combined with lessons drawn from social justice-based research on the politics of schooling and institutional transformation. In sum, the course provides a framework for informed participation in debates on controversial educational issues at the macro level, including school reform and educational policy, thereby equipping future curriculum and instruction leaders with the tools they need to affect change. | Socio-cultural Perspectives on Schooling, Society and Change | 3 |
| TEDU 617 TEDU 617. Tensions in Educational Theory. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course introduces students to major educational theories they will encounter throughout their studies, such as behaviorism, critical theory, cognitive constructivism and social constructivism. Students will learn to use their experience and the phenomena they study in the field to enter into a dialogue with theories: refining them, challenging them and sometimes even replacing them. | Tensions in Educational Theory | 3 |
| TEDU 730 TEDU 730. Teacher Education and Professional Development. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. In this course, students will critically analyze theory and research on teacher education for pre-service teachers and professional development for practicing teachers. Students will explore various conceptions of the teaching profession, the history of teacher education in the United States, debates on how best to educate teachers, and how teacher education and professional development can contribute to more equitable, just and inclusive education. This course cannot be used to meet a requirement for endorsement as a supervisor of instruction in Virginia. | Teacher Education and Professional Development | 3 |
| TEDU 731 TEDU 731. Exploring Research in Classrooms. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: TEDU 617. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an overview of classroom-based research, particularly from the socio-cultural tradition. This course explores research on the classroom through recent and classic works of theory and empirical studies of teaching and learning. Throughout the course students will engage the tension between educational ends (educational theory, institutional goals and teachers’ goals) and students’ needs and desires. | Exploring Research in Classrooms | 3 |
| TEDU 732 TEDU 732. Advanced Seminar in Curriculum Studies. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Completion of TEDU 617 is recommended prior to enrollment. Designed to engage doctoral students in a range of readings, writings, discussions and other experiences that address the questions: What should be taught in schools? and Why? The course builds on earlier course work that examines curricular movements and frameworks, and considers contemporary approaches to curriculum study and the implications and effects of their epistemic and philosophical stances -- regarding the nature of knowledge, learners, schools and society -- on instruction. | Advanced Seminar in Curriculum Studies | 3 |
| Electives (chosen in consultation with adviser) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
The minimum total 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.