Doctor of Education - Curriculum & Instruction

Plan Description

This program aims to cultivate educational leaders through providing innovative solutions to complex problems of practice. 

The completion of this degree will enable individuals to become members of university faculties but particularly suited for positions as leaders in school districts and community agencies.

Upon completion of the program, graduates will:

• Have an understanding of the theoretical and historical foundations of education.
• Demonstrate knowledge and synthesis of major research in teaching and schooling.
• Demonstrate knowledge and research application in solving a complex problem of practice.
• Understand and apply the major tenets of research design and analysis spanning quantitative, qualitative, and evaluation research methods.
• Demonstrate the ability to successfully design, defend, and complete an extended educational study addressing a complex problem of practice resulting in a defensible traditional dissertation or a multiple article dissertation.

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.

Application for the Curriculum and Instruction Ed.D. in the Department of Teaching and Learning is accomplished through the UNLV Graduate College online application process. 

Specific admission criteria for the Ed.D. – Curriculum and Instruction include:

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 completed a minimum of 2 years of successful professional educational experience upon entrance to the program.
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 Curriculum and Instruction. 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 education
   2. Expectations concerning the doctoral program
   3. Identify a problem of practice and describe it.
   4. The name of a faculty member in the department with whom you would like to work [optional]
9. Demonstrate oral communication skills through an interview conducted by members of the C&I graduate faculty. Out-of-state applicants must contact the Coordinator of Doctoral Studies directly to make alternate arrangements to the on-campus interview.

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

Degree Requirements

1. Complete a minimum of 60 credit hours 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. Complete the residency requirement for the degree through one of the three options available as described in the current Doctoral Studies Guide on the department website.
4. Attend the Teaching and Learning Department Doctoral Colloquium held periodically throughout their years of study.
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. Pass a written qualifying examination prior to commencing work on the dissertation proposal or dissertation (See the Doctoral Handbook for more detailed information on this process). Students may begin developing their qualifying examination questions and commence their qualifying exam upon completion of minimum program requirements and advisor approval.

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. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 
4. The student must also file a copy of the dissertation with the Teaching and Learning Department.