DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The Program in Brief

Doctoral study in education at Washington University in St. Louis is aimed at strengthening and deepening the student's analytical understanding of education in both research and practice.  Our doctoral program focuses on two major strands of study: the Social Contexts of Educational Research or Science and Mathematics Education.  Students are afforded an opportunity to build their own unique programs of study by combining concentrations from urban education and American culture studies, literacy, mathematics and science education, learning sciences, or educational policy.  These concentrations are supplemented by core studies in history and methodology and a doctoral seminar shared by all students. Many courses have fieldwork and research components, opportunities to attend and present at local and national conferences, teaching assistantships, and seminars.  Required and elective courses provide the student with a broad understanding of scholarship and research in education and prepare the student for the qualifying examination and dissertation research and writing.

Students working toward a Ph.D. in education are expected to acquire an understanding of education as a complex social, cultural, and moral/political activity and as a field of study with rich literature bases and strong ties to disciplinary knowledge, classroom practice, and a variety of technologies.  Our faculty brings special interests and expertise to the examination of educational interactions in such sites as schools, families, and other cultural institutions.  Students are expected to acquire theoretical and empirical expertise in an area of concentration even as they demonstrate their broader understanding of educational processes and problems.  Finally, students are expected to acquire methodological competence in empirical inquiry and to pursue questions that are of interest and import for the student individually as well as a larger educational community.  Graduates of the Ph.D. program should be prepared to join the community of professional educators who contribute to our understanding of the complexity of education and to continue inquiring into educational processes and problems wherever they choose to work.

Integrating teaching and research with scholarly training involves the doctoral candidate in the central responsibilities of the professional educator.  An advantage of a small department within a College of Arts and Sciences is that students have multiple opportunities to work closely with many of the faculty in the department.  In addition, the university offers a climate supporting interdisciplinary conversations across schools, departments, and programs.  As Education faculty, we encourage students to pursue learning experiences and contacts with faculty in other programs. Students encounter a diversity of disciplinary perspectives within and outside of the Department of Education in order to provide a broad understanding of the field.

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