The Departments of Curriculum Studies, Educational Foundations, and Educational Psychology and Special Education support doctoral studies through the cross-departmental Ph.D. in Education.

The cross-departmental Ph.D. is a thesis-based research degree and graduates from this program may have goals of obtaining academic positions at other institutions and conducting education research for government, school divisions, First Nations and other research organizations. The program delivery is intended to be flexible with decisions on program delivery and specific program requirements decided by the student’s advisory committee. Students will be trained in educational research and have support from an advisory committee whose regular members draw expertise from Curriculum Studies (curriculum innovation, early childhood education, English as an additional language, and educational technology and design), Educational Foundations (social and ecological justice education, Indigenous Education), Educational Psychology and Special Education (including applied measurement and program evaluation, special education, and school-based assessment).

The cross-departmental Ph.D. program consists of a minimum of 15 credit units (nine required credit units focused on research methodology, plus six required credit units that support the student’s specific area of research). Students may also take up to six credit units of coursework through another Western Canadian university after a term of study, if these courses are approved as part of their official program of studies.

Please review the following Cross-departmental Ph.D. in Education Information Sheet for more details about the September 2026 intake, the program, admission requirements and application process.

• Cross-D PhD Information Sheet

Admission requirements