The Doctor of Education degree in Literacy provides the highest professional degree available to candidates who aspire to literacy leadership positions. The degree requirements include a prescribed curriculum of required and elective courses and the successful completion of a major research project resulting in the presentation and defense of a dissertation.
The program includes a concentration of courses in literacy, 9 elective hours, concluding with 6 or more dissertation hours. Please see the curriculum outline for a complete listing of program course requirements.
This Ed.D. Program is a modified cohort program. Individuals are admitted to a specific cohort and follow the schedule for the cohort to which they are assigned. Elective courses may be taken independent from the rest of the cohort. Cohort groups begin in June of each year. In the event of emergencies that require an individual to drop out of the normal schedule, they may be required to join another cohort group with another schedule.
With a doctorate in literacy you can:
- Teach in Colleges of Education around the world
- Construct and implement literacy curricula at the school, district, state, or national level
- Become a literacy coach or consultant
- Work in governmental education agencies, intergovernmental agencies, non-governmental agencies or policy organizations.
Other advantages of completing our program include:
- Gaining experience teaching and conducting research in literacy
- Connecting with national and local organizations that support literacy instruction and research
- Developing programs and new approaches to literacy instruction that meet the needs of all learners
- Obtaining qualifications necessary to train educators in literacy instruction
- Gain experience systematically evaluating literacy programs
- Developing expertise in supporting children and adults who struggle with literacy
- Reading and interpret literacy research and disseminate best practices to educators in your community and around the world
- Acquiring skills required to design and coordinate literacy curricula
- Gaining experience reading and interpreting literacy research as well as disseminating best practices to stakeholders
- Creating programs that help people become better readers and writers
- Instructing future educators
- Systematically evaluating literacy programs
- Conducting research and share it around the world
Our graduates are:
- Professors of Literacy
- Curriculum Coordinators
- District Administrators
- Literacy Coaches
- Leaders in Educational Policy Organizations
Our students love our program because of many factors, such as:
- Interaction with professors
- Personal attention from the professors
- The cohort model
- Ideal for students who prefer face-to-face instruction
- Alternating courses on main campus and the Woodlands campus
- Traveling to present research
- Diverse research opportunities
- Relationships with peers and professors
- Meaningful coursework
- Genuine care for student success