StudyQA — PhD: Education — University of California

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

The Ph.D. in Education program of study provides for all students a core knowledge of the requisite educational theory and research, while allowing focus in one of the three areas of specialization.

Each student's program of study will be developed in coordination with a faculty advisor and will be designed to help the student conduct research in the area of specialization. During the first two years, students will take course work, combining core courses, research methods courses, specialization courses, a directed research sequence, and electives. As part of this coursework students have the opportunity to engage in year-long research projects under the direction of faculty in both the first and second year.

In the fall of the second year, students will present findings from their first year research during a poster session. At the beginning of the third year, students will submit an empirical research paper of publishable quality. Midway during the third year, students will submit a theme essay, which can be a conceptual paper, a policy paper, or a course outline.

During the third year, the student will work on advancing to candidacy by completing a dissertation proposal. The dissertation itself will ordinarily be completed within the next two years. Average time for advancement to candidacy will be three years and, for completion of the degree, five years, though students with a strong background in their area of specialization may be able to finish earlier.

Three specializations are offered:

Learning, Cognition, and Development
Educational Policy and Social Context
Language, Literacy, and Technology

LCD faculty are conducting research in areas such as:

Learner Motivation and Achievement
Out-of-School Activities and Youth Development
Gender and Ethnicity in STEM Fields
Working Memory and Executive Control Across the Lifetime
Early Childhood Education and Learning
Learning in Higher Education
Teacher Competence and Learning
Teaching in K-12 Schools
Teacher Preparation and Teacher Professional Development

ESPC faculty are conducting research in areas such as:

Educational Inequality
Educational Interventions
Education Policy
Evaluation of Education Programs and Policies
School and Family Influences in Education
Sociology and Economics of Education

LLT faculty are conducting research in areas such as:

Information and Multimedia Literacy
Second Language Learning
Linguistic Diversity
Vocabulary Development
Reading and Writing Development
Videogames and Learning
Popular Culture and Online Learning

Requirements

Completion of a baccalaureate degree with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the most recent academic degree program
Prior course work or background related to the specialization for which the student expresses interest
Completion of GRE general examination within the past five years and, for international students, TOEFL or IELTS taken within the past two years
Complete the Online Application for Graduate Admission to UCI. As part of the online application, the School of Education requires that you submit both a Statement of Purpose and a Personal History Statement. You should also list the specialization you are interested in where the online application asks for "Specific Area of Interest." (If you are interested in more than one specialization, please list the one that represents your primary interest. You can discuss your interest in more than one specialization in your Statement of Purpose if you wish.) NOTE: You do not need to respond to the CSET or the CBEST categories; these are required only for Credential/MAT applicants, not for Ph.D. applicants.
Have two official copies of your transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you attended sent directly to PhD Admissions, School of Education, 3200 Education, Irvine, CA, 92697-5500 (USA).
Have your GRE general examination scores sent to UCI (institution code R4859). Note: There is no minimum required GRE score.
Submit the following two documents in electronic format (PDF files only; no other format accepted) to gseinfo@uci.edu using the designated document titles:
(a) an academic writing sample (e.g., thesis chapter, research paper, or academic article). Title your writing sample as follow: LastName_FirstName_WS.pdf
(b) a copy of your resume or CV. Title your CV/resume as follows: LastName_FirstName_CV.pdf
Have three letters of recommendation submitted electronically or by mail.
Pay the Application Fee.