Doctor of Philosophy - Teacher Education

Plan Description

The Ph.D. in Teacher Education in the Department of Teaching & Learning is projected for professional educators who have an interest in becoming practitioner-oriented scholars in teacher education and who are interested in teacher education as a content area for research. Completing this degree will enable individuals to answer the national call for teacher educators and researchers in this field. The program is one of only a few in the nation devoted to teacher education.

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate college-level teaching experience;
2. Connect theory and research related to teaching and learning to the practice of teaching in schools and to the practice of teaching university courses;
3. Design and conduct research using quantitative and qualitative methodologies with particular emphasis on applied research in the context of diverse schools.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

1. All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements. 
2. Hold a master’s degree from an accredited program in an area closely related to the chosen field of specialization. Normally, 18 semester hours in education are required.
3. Have a grade point average of 3.0 of higher in all graduate level coursework. *Please note that one third of the total program hours may be transferred from another accredited doctoral program.
4. Have satisfactory teaching experience, preferably licensed.
5. Obtain three letters of recommendation from individuals who can specifically address the applicant’s potential for success in the doctoral program. These letters of recommendation will be requested and submitted through the Graduate College online application system. One of the letters must be from a university faculty member addressing your past academic success and future potential in a doctoral program.
6. Submit one set of official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities as requested in the Graduate College online application. You may upload unofficial transcripts via the online application as a supplement if you have the documents in a digital computer file (e.g., PDF). Unofficial transcripts do NOT substitute for the official documents.
7. Submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the General Exam. The scores should be sent directly to the Doctoral Studies Office in the Department of Teaching and Learning. Applicants are encouraged to provide self-reported scores for the GRE in the Standardized Tests section of the Graduate College online application.
8. Submit a Personal Statement via the Graduate College online application that addresses in detail:
   1. Reasons for pursuing a doctorate in teacher education
   2. Expectations concerning the doctoral program
   3. Potential areas of study within teacher education
   4. The name of a faculty member in the department with whom you would like to work [optional]
9. Submit a written statement regarding when the residency requirement will be met (see the Doctoral Handbook. This statement should be uploaded via the Graduate College online application in the Supplementary Information section as an “Other Required Document.”
10. Demonstrate oral communication skills through an interview conducted by members of the T & L graduate faculty. Out-of-state applicants must contact the Coordinator of Doctoral Studies directly to make alternate arrangements to the on-campus interview.

Once requirements are met, members of the T & L Graduate Faculty will evaluate all evidence for admission submitted by the applicant and then make their recommendations to the entire T& L faculty. The T & L faculty will make a recommendation to the Graduate College, and the Graduate College will post the decision letter to the student’s online application. Only complete applications will be considered.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

Total Credits Required: 60

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 9

EPY 767 - Human Learning and Cognition  

CIG 762 - Instructional Strategies and Learning to Teach in Higher Education  

CIG 763 - Teaching and Learning to Teach  

Teaching Course – Credits: 3

Complete one of the following courses:

CIG 760R - Inquiry into Teacher Education  

CIG 780 - Research on Teaching and Schooling  

Education Course – Credits: 3

Complete one of the following courses:

CIG 761 - Theoretical Foundations of Education  

CIG 768 - Advanced Curriculum Studies  

Research Courses – Credits: 6

EPY 718 - Qualitative Research Methodologies  

EPY 721 - Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: An Introduction  

Internship Course – Credits: 9

Complete 9 credits of internship. This must include a combination of 3 credits of school-based internship and 6 credits of teaching internship.

CIG 791 - Internship in Curriculum and Instruction  

Additional Research Course – Credits: 3

Complete one of the following courses:

EPY 716 - Evaluation Research Methods  

EPY 719 - Advanced Qualitative Research  

EPY 722 - Inferential Statistics and Experimental Design  

SOC 705 - Qualitative Methods  

SOC 774 - Seminar in Feminist Theories and Research  

PSY 707 - Research Methods  

PSY 708 - Statistics for Psychologists I  

PSY 709 - Statistics for Psychologists II  

Technology Course – Credits: 3

CIT 772 - Technology in Teacher Education  

Elective Courses – Credits: 9

Complete three of the following courses:

CIE 685 - Elementary Education Curriculum  

CIG 603 - Urban Education  

CIG 661 - Topics Multicultural Education  

CIG 706 - Mentoring Strategies to Improve Teaching  

CIG 764 - Models of Teaching  

CIG 765 - Instructional Design  

CIG 766 - Evaluation of Teaching  

CIG 769 - Advanced Curriculum Evaluation in Education  

CIG 770 - Current Trends and Issues in Education  

CIG 780 - Research on Teaching and Schooling  

CIG 782 - School Climate  

CIL 772 - Cognitive Foundations of Literacy  

CIS 618 - Instructional Methods Secondary School  

CIT 667 - Technology and Educational Change  

EDA 782 - Seminar in Teacher Education  

CIG 786 - Individual Instruction in Education  

Dissertation – Credits: 15

CIG 799 - Dissertation  

Degree Requirements  

1. Complete a minimum of 60 hours of study beyond the master’s degree.
2. Maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher for all course work taken at the doctoral level.
3. For the teaching internship course, three credit hours will involve shadowing a faculty member teaching a university course and the other three credits will include teaching a university course under the supervision and mentoring of a faculty member. Co-enrollment with CIG 762 required.
4. For the school-based internship, students will complete an internship in Millennium Schools, Paradise Professional Development School, or other Professional Practice Schools. Co-enrollment in CIG 763 is required.
5. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a dissertation committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
6. Complete the residency requirement for the degree. The residency experience incorporates, to the greatest extent possible, a spirit of full-time attention from students to their studies during the residency period. Selection of the criteria for fulfilling the residency requirement is under the auspices of the student’s committee with oversight of the Doctoral Studies Coordinator and Doctoral Studies Committee. A formal proposal for the residency period is required from the student. The PhD residency experience will incorporate a focus on activities associated with success in academe (e.g., scholarly writing, classroom and online university teaching, research methods and opportunities, and external funding). The residency period will encompass at least two consecutive terms (may include one summer term).
7. Attend the T & L Doctoral Colloquium held periodically throughout the years of study.
8. Pass a written comprehensive examination taken before commencing with the dissertation.

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy document to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.
4. The student must also file a copy of the dissertation with the Teaching and Learning Department.