Curriculum and Instruction PhD

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers graduate studies that lead to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction. Each graduate student must concentrate in one of the department's areas of study, listed in the next section.

AREAS OF STUDY

In accord with interests and professional goals, each admitted graduate student is assigned to anarea of studyand to an initial faculty advisor in that area. Areas of study are bilingual education, curriculum studies, early childhood studies, English as a second language, global studies,literacy studies, mathematics education, multicultural education, music education, science education, social studies education, teacher education, world language education, and Design, Informal, and Creative Education (DICE).

The goals of doctoral study in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction are to help students develop abilities for research in the field of curriculum and instruction, imbuing them with a distinctive theoretical and critical edge; develop expertise in one of the department's areas of study, listed previously; acquire greater competence in curriculum evaluation and development; improve understanding of the teachinglearning process; gain depth and breadth of knowledge in related academic fields; and build a broadened professional background in areas related to curriculum and instruction, such as anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology of education, administration, counseling, educational psychology, and supervision.

Ph.D. study in the department is research-oriented. It prepares students for different forms of intellectual leadership in education including research, curriculum analysis and development, teacher education, and other teaching in higher education, and leadership positions in educational agencies. These different forms of leadership are not mutually exclusive, but the relative emphasis given to each varies among students and areas of study.

Details of requirements and procedures pertaining to Ph.D. study in the department are described in the department's Ph.D. Degree Program Handbook. Doctoral students are responsible for learning about and following department requirements and procedures and they should therefore familiarize themselves with this document. Ph.D. students are also responsible for learning about and following Graduate School policies. The curriculum and instruction graduate program office offers an informational meeting for new graduate students at the beginning of each semester.

1. (Breadth of Knowledge) Examples of competence may include demonstrating awareness of historical and intellectual context, educational practices, critical research paradigms within the broader field of Curriculum and Instruction, and theories and approaches from other fields as appropriate for their research.
2. (Depth of Knowledge) Examples of competence may include demonstrating mastery of concepts, theories, and research, and understanding of relevant educational practices and contexts, sufficient to pose questions that extend the current boundaries of knowledge within their chosen subfield of Curriculum and Instruction.
3. (Research Approaches and Epistemological Foundations) Examples of competence may include articulating research problems that build on history, theory, research, and practice within their subfield of Curriculum and Instruction; choosing research methods appropriate to those problems and demonstrating understanding of epistemological foundations underlying those methods.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: