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:

Demonstrate college-level teaching experience;

Connect theory and research related to teaching and learning to the practice of teaching in schools and to the practice of teaching university courses;

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, including students currently matriculated in graduate programs at UNLV outside of the Department of Teaching and Learning, must meet the minimum Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements, as well as the specific policies outlined below.
2. Prior to the admission start date, a master degree from an accredited program in an area closely related to the chosen field of specialization is required.
3. Have satisfactory teaching experience, preferably licensed.
4. Submit a complete Graduate College online application, by the stated application date, including the following:
   • Three letters of recommendation from professionals who can specifically address the applicant’s potential for success in the doctoral program. One letter, minimally, must be from a university faculty member addressing past academic success and future potential in a doctoral program. These letters of recommendation will be requested by and must be submitted through the Graduate College online application system.
   • Submit one set of transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities as requested in the Graduate College online application. Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded via the online application for any degrees or coursework in progress at the time of application. Unofficial transcripts will NOT substitute for the official documents required prior to enrollment, with the exception of coursework taken at UNLV.
   • Submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the General Exam, which must be received prior to the application deadline.
   • Answering any questions required in the application portal.
5. After initial screening, applicants moving forward in the process will be invited to an interview. Interviews are conducted by members of the Department of Teaching and Learning graduate faculty. Interviews are not guaranteed simply by means of applying to the program. The Doctoral Studies Office and program faculty members will work to plan interviews with selected applicants.
6. Students with less than a 145 Verbal, or a 145 Quantitative, or a 3.5 Analytical Writing, or any combination thereof on the GRE can only be admitted on a conditional basis; if admitted a student must earn a 3.30 (B+) GPA in the Departmental Core (CIG 761 & 790) and two Required Research Courses (EPY 718 & 721) in order remove the conditional status.
7. Students enrolled or matriculated in a graduate program at UNLV outside of the Department of Teaching and Learning currently are not guaranteed to have program coursework from the previous program accepted for transfer or substitution to the Department of Teaching and Learning degree.
8. The aforementioned requirements are the minimum requirements; meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
9. Recommendations to the Graduate College for admission are based 1) on applicants meeting the minimum requirements along with 2) a comprehensive review of the application materials by program and/or subplan area faculty.

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. All coursework must be approved by the doctoral student’s advisor.
3. CIG 761, CIG 790, EPY 718, and EPY 721 are not eligible for substitution.
4. Maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher for all course work taken at the doctoral level;
5. Complete a three-credit university teaching internship under the supervision and mentoring of a faculty member. An additional three-credit internship will be completed and will be designed in consultation with the student and initial advisor or the dissertation committee chair.
6. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student must organize a dissertation committee of at least three departmental members, including a chair and at least one other member from Teacher Education program area. 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.
7. Pass, and defend orally, a written qualifying examination prior to commencing work on the dissertation proposal.
8. Pass, and defend orally, a written proposal as well as complete all coursework before Advancing to Candidacy and taking dissertation hours.
9. Comply with all requirements for and successfully defend the dissertation as well as any specific graduation requirements and processes (see Graduation Requirements below).
10. Follow all UNLV, Graduate College, and Teaching and Learning Policies and adhere to any subplan processes outline in the Doctoral Handbook or doctoral website.

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 the 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.