Introduction
Education Ph.D. graduate students become creative scholars who engage in research focused on the educational needs of students from linguistic and cultural groups that have historically not fared well in our nation’s public schools. The program provides students with grounding in the varieties of interdisciplinary theorizing, research methods, and applications needed to advance the study of learning and teaching for diverse student populations. Courses and research experiences are closely related to practice in K-12 classrooms and informal settings. Students in this interdisciplinary program apply tools and perspectives from education, anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, cognitive science, and cultural historical activity theory. The program integrates theory and practice to examine learning and teaching within the multiple contexts of classroom, school, family, and community. Graduates are qualified to teach and to conduct the kinds of educational research demanded by tenure-track positions in research and regional universities. Graduates also work in non-university based institutions that focus on teacher professional development, curriculum development, and related areas of educational research and development.
Together with their faculty adviser, each student develops an integrated program of study that includes advanced coursework, seminars, and electives. Students learn through an apprenticeship model in which they develop expertise through active participation in research. Courses may be taken in other departments, when appropriate.
Ph.D. Admissions Guidelines
The minimum GPA established by the University of California for admission to graduate school is 3.0. In general, the Ph.D. in education program admits based on a holistic assessment of potential for excellence in graduate study, whether this manifests itself in a high GPA, strong letters of recommendation, or a strong Statement of Purpose. Applicants are evaluated on their individual merits and also with regard to how well their proposed doctoral research can be supported by the existing resources of the program.
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, from an accepted university prior to the quarter for which admission is sought
- 3.0 GPA or above
- Experience working with culturally and linguistically diverse students and/or communities
- Statement of Purpose
- Personal History Statement
- A writing sample, preferably in education or a related field. The sample can be a term paper, a field report, a research proposal, or an essay written especially for the application
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended after high school
- Three current recommendation letters specifying potential for academic or scholarly work
- Current résumé
- Application fee
- International applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. A minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL (paper), 220 on the TOEFL (computer), or 83 on the Internet-based test is required for admission. For those choosing to take the IELTS, a minimum overall score of 7 is required. The program follows Graduate Division guidelines when considering TOEFL waivers.
Prior to completing an application, we highly recommend identifying a potential faculty advisor and making contact with them by email. Please contact the education faculty member(s) whose research interest is similar to your own and explore the possible fit in your interests and their expertise. (For descriptions of faculty research, please visit the Education Department website).
Financial Support
UC Santa Cruz guarantees five years of funding to all admitted Ph.D. students. Financial support for students includes a variety of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Students may participate in research projects under the auspices of several interdisciplinary research centers and research projects. In the past, these have included the Chicano/Latino Research Center (CLRC), the Vocabulary Innovations in Education (VINE) project, The Teachers With Computers: Ward Annotations for Vocabulary Education (tecWAVE) project, English Language and Literacy Integration in Subject Areas (ELLISA), Effective Science Teaching for English Language Learners (ESTELL) project, The Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California (CCREC), and the Center for Educational Research in the Interest of Underserved Students (CERIUS). Recently, students have participated in research projects with the Center for Research on Equity and Collaborative Evaluation (CRECE) and the History & Civics Project (H&CP).
For Further Information
Contact the doctoral student adviser by sending an email to edphd@ucsc.edu or view the Education Department’s home page where potential applicants can obtain full details about the programs.
Advancement to Candidacy
To achieve Ph.D. candidacy, students are expected to pass an annual review of their written work, maintain satisfactory academic progress, complete all required courses, attend department colloquia, complete a second-year research project, complete a TAship or teaching internship, pass a qualifying examination, and meet the specific requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies.
Course Requirements
During the first two years of study, all students are expected to enroll in a set of required courses, including foundational courses, methodology courses, and elective courses. The student and his/her faculty adviser will determine the overall program of study, depending on the student’s preparation, interests, and plans. The program encourages interdisciplinary study.
Course Requirements and Sequencing
The following courses constitute the minimum requirements: four foundational courses, five research methods courses, four elective courses, one additional course in any category, a second-year project independent study, a second-year doctoral proseminar sequence, and a research apprenticeship. Incoming students consult with their faculty advisers about the current course offerings to determine the order in which they will complete required courses. Students are encouraged to consider these as the foundation and minimum required for doctoral studies. In consultation with their advisers, students will determine the full set of research methods and elective courses they will complete based on their intellectual interests and professional goals. All required courses must be completed prior to advancement to candidacy but students may continue to take classes throughout their program.
The department typically offers approximately eight doctoral courses during each year. The Education Department annually admits 4-6 Ph.D. students, leaving room for doctoral students from other departments to take courses in education.
Courses required before advancing to candidacy:
| EDUC 235 | Introduction to Educational Inquiry | 5 |
| EDUC 236 | Quantitative Research Methods | 5 |
| EDUC 237 | Qualitative Research Methods | 5 |
| EDUC 250 | Teaching and Teachers | 5 |
| EDUC 255 | Intermediate Quantitative Methods | 5 |
| EDUC 256 | Intermediate Qualitative Analysis | 5 |
| EDUC 261 | Thinking and Learning | 5 |
| EDUC 262 | Social and Cultural Context of Education | 5 |
| EDUC 272 | Language in Education and Society | 5 |
And four electives, two of which must be from the list below:
Choose two of the following:
| EDUC 263 | Educational Reform | 5 |
| EDUC 264 | Research on Teacher Development and Teacher Education | 5 |
| EDUC 268 | Schools, Communities, and Families | 5 |
| EDUC 280 | Language and Literacy Across Disciplines | 5 |
| EDUC 286 | Research in STEM Education | 5 |
| EDUC 295 | Critical Perspectives on Education | 5 |
Plus the following courses
A total of 16 credits from the following:
Both of the following courses
EDUC 293A is a 2-credit course and can fulfill the requirement for EDUC 293B if it is taken three times.
Plus 6 credits from the following Second-Year Doctoral Proseminar series
EDUC 277A, EDUC 277B, EDUC 277C must each be taken to satisfy the requirement.
The following may also be counted toward meeting elective requirements:
- M.A. course in education with additional readings and assignments. (Do not count toward the four electives and/or the additional course.)
- Independent Study. (One maximum to count toward the four electives and/or the additional course.)
- Undergraduate upper-division course with additional readings and assignments. (One maximum to count toward the four electives and/or additional course.)
Other Requirements
Students are required to attend the Education Department’s colloquium series during their first and second years in the program.
Students are required to complete a second-year project paper (the same project to be approved for the en route M.A.). The final version must be approved by two faculty readers by the end of spring quarter of their second year.
Teaching Requirement
The education Ph.D. program emphasizes teaching experience, and all students are required to complete one TAship or teaching internship in education prior to advancement to candidacy.
Pre-Qualifying Requirements
Students are required to attend the Education Department’s colloquium series during their first and second years in the program.
Students are required to complete a second-year project paper (the same project to be approved for the en route M.A.). The final version must be approved by two faculty readers by the end of spring quarter of their second year.
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination is intended to assess a student’s depth and breadth of knowledge in their areas of concentration and his/her competence to do extended dissertation-level research. Normally taken near the end of the third year of enrollment, the examination consists of both written and oral components. For the written portion, the student prepares three papers, two of which advance a position based on a review of related research, theoretical framework, or research design/methods; the third is a dissertation prospectus. The student presents and defends their work at the oral examination.
Post-Qualifying Requirements
To achieve Ph.D. candidacy, students are expected to pass an annual review of their written work, maintain satisfactory academic progress, complete all required courses, attend department colloquia, complete a second-year research project, complete a TAship or teaching internship, pass a qualifying examination (QE), and meet the specific requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies.
Advancement to Candidacy
To achieve Ph.D. candidacy, students are expected to pass an annual review of their written work, maintain satisfactory academic progress, complete all required courses, attend department colloquia, complete a second-year research project, complete a TAship or teaching internship, pass a qualifying examination, and meet the specific requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies.
Requirements for the M.A. Degree
Although applications for a master’s degree independent of the Ph.D. program are not accepted, students in the Ph.D. program may obtain a M.A. degree after successfully completing a minimum of six quarters residency, a total of 81 course credits (including four foundational courses, five research methods courses, at least four elective courses, a minimum of two from the Education Electives list, one more course from any category, a 5-credit course for the second-year research project, a three-quarter second-year proseminar sequence), and an approved and completed second-year research project. Students seeking an M.A. degree must adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Graduate Division.