The Ph.D. program in Education prepares students who seek faculty and research positions in academia, government, and the private sector. Graduates of the program are expected to influence educational practice both in the U.S. and abroad in a variety of capacities. They may become research professors who will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in education, discover exemplary educational practices, or contribute to local and national educational policy.

The director of the Ph.D. program is Professor William Firestone who can be reached at (732) 932-7496 x8231 or by email at william.firestone@gse.rutgers.edu.

Areas of Concentration 

The concentration in Learning, Cognition, Instruction, and Development (L-CID) prepares students to carry out research with implications for learning and teaching in classrooms and other settings. Students can specialize in areas of faculty expertise. Areas of specialty include early childhood and elementary education, educational psychology, human development, learning sciences, literacy education, math education, science education, social studies education and statistics and measurement with opportunities for research in other specialties and interdisciplinary studies. The concentration focuses on how people think, how knowledge is conveyed, how understanding is acquired, how human beings develop in learning environments, and the ingredients of effective teaching.

Students in the L-CID concentration develop the broad base of knowledge and research skills needed to design and investigate methods of improving learning and teaching in real learning environments. Students specialize in one area of study but learn about one or more other areas that will allow them to develop stronger educational interventions and research designs. Interdisciplinary study is encouraged. The concentration prepares students for research-oriented careers.

Areas of study are described below. Interested students are encouraged to email or phone the contact person for each area for additional information.

Early childhood education.

(Information available shortly.)

Educational psychology.  The Educational Psychology specialization prepares students to conduct quantitative empirical research to advance psychological theory applied to educational issues. Students become well grounded in learning, cognition, and development while acquiring the skills of the quantitative researcher: measurement theory, statistical analysis, research design, evaluation, and qualitative tools to supplement quantitative methods. Scientific research is emphasized as a vehicle to advance theory explaining how people learn, teach, and differ from one another. Students are prepared to conduct research concerned with the discovery and validation of psychological processes and principles that have the potential to optimize human development and learning, and to improve the methodological techniques that are employed in this process.  Faculty: Clark Chinn, Richard De Lisi, Susan Golbeck, Toni Kempler Rogat, Lorraine McCune, Angela O’Donnell, Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke, Contact:  Clark Chinn.

Learning sciences.  Learning Sciences is an emerging interdisciplinary field that tackles key questions about learning and education. The Learning Sciences specialty prepares students for interdisciplinary work that investigates contexts and processes of learning and teaching in a variety of school and out-of-school settings. Through course work and research experiences, students are exposed to the three major themes that permeate research and theory in the learning sciences: social context, cognition and design. Students in the learning sciences draw on theories and research methods that cut across disciplines such as  anthropology, computer science, cognitive science, the natural sciences, psychology, linguistics,  philosophy and sociocultural studies. Students learn qualitative, quantitative, and design-based research tools to prepare them for rigorous research on understanding how students learn in authentic settings and to understand the environments that learning scientists design. Faculty in the learning sciences area focus on learning in a variety of content areas, including science, mathematics, and literacy as well as on collaborative learning and the role of technology. Faculty: Erica Boling, Clark Chinn, Richard De Lisi, Ravit Duncan, Eugenia Etkina, Susan Golbeck, Cindy Hmelo-Silver, Toni Kempler Rogat, Lorraine McCune, Angela O'Donnell, Arthur Powell, Keith Weber.  Contact: Cindy Hmelo-Silver.

Human Development.  This concentration is focused on the study of human development and learning across the life span.  Coursework encompasses basic and applied topics in child development as well as the application of developmental principles to early intervention and schooling at all age levels.  Students are encouraged to explore diverse research methodologies and to take advantage of the outstanding resources in developmental psychology across the Rutgers University community as they design their program of study with their faculty mentor. Currently, faculty research includes language development in infancy, cognitive development in early and middle childhood, and gender similarities and differences in academic achievement. Faculty:  Richard De Lisi, Susan Golbeck, Lorraine McCune, Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke.  Contact: Susan Golbeck, Lorraine McCune.

Language Education.  The Language Education specialization prepares students to conduct qualitative and quantitative empirical research to advance theory in language acquisition, language culture and identity, language in social contexts, cognitive aspects of language learning, assessment, and bilingualism in educational contexts. The program emphasizes research on theory that explains how learners acquire, use, develop or change languages and how language teaching models may affect these areas. Students are prepared to become researchers, critical interpreters, and producers of academic scholarship related to learning and teaching English as a Second Language and World Languages. Participants in the program visualize language learning and teaching and bilingualism as a primary linguistic, cognitive, and social area of investigation. Faculty: Nydia Flores, Mary Curran. Contact: Nydia Flores.

Literacy Education.  The Literacy Education specialization prepares students to conduct qualitative and quantitative empirical research which can advance the development of literacy theory and its application to issues of practice. This specialization explores research and theory as they apply to teachers and learners across the lifespan and professional continuum, as well as to policy making.  Students seeking a literacy specialization will become well grounded in current epistemologies and theories which include multimodal and digital literacies, new literacy studies, critical literacy, literacy and identity, as well as a range of approaches to teaching reading and writing.  This work is undergirded by the assumption that people improve and acquire literacy skills while interacting with a broad variety of texts in diverse contexts; literacy is socially constructed and enacted.  The Literacy Education specialization places a strong emphasis on developing the skills of a researcher, including research design, the development and use of qualitative and quantitative research tools, data analysis, and writing for academic and general audiences. Research is emphasized as a vehicle to advance theory and practice to optimize literacy learning.  Faculty: Alisa Belzer, Erica Boling, Susan Dougherty, Cheryl McLean, Lesley Morrow, Jennifer Rowsel. Contact: Alisa Belzer.

Mathematics Education.  The mathematics education concentration prepares students to conduct basic research on the learning and teaching of mathematics--how people at all ages learn mathematics and how teachers can facilitate that learning. Among the research topics of faculty and doctoral students are problem solving and problem posing, mathematical representations, instructional strategies, collaborative learning with technology, professional development, and affect and attitudes of learners. The GSE mathematics education faculty have diverse backgrounds in disciplines such as mathematics, mathematics education, cognitive psychology, physics, physics education, statistics, and computer science.  Interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged. The mathematics education concentration prepares students to articulate between mathematicians and mathematics educators by providing them a strong background in both mathematics and mathematics education. A strong background in mathematics is required for admission; applicants are required to take the Math GRE. Faculty: Daniel Battey, Rochel Gelman, Gerald Goldin, Rick Falk, Eugenia Etkina, Carolyn Maher, Pablo Mejia-Ramos, Naftala Minsky, Fred Roberts, Joseph Rosenstein, Arthur Powell, Michael Saks, Roberta Schorr, Joe Rosenstein, Keith Weber, Robert Wilson. Contact: Keith Weber.

Science Education.  The science education concentration prepares students to conduct research about the learning and teaching of science within different scientific disciplines. Such research involves a deep understanding of the discipline-specific content knowledge as well as the discipline-specific methodologies through which this knowledge is developed. Thus, those who wish to pursue their studies in biology education should be well versed in the content and methods of biology, while those who wish to pursue their studies in physics education need to be knowledgeable of physics content and methods, etc. The scientific expertise of the science education faculty lies in the areas of physics, biology, ocean sciences, and ecology. Current science education research that concentration faculty are conducting involves:  epistemology and metacognition in the context of physics education, physics teacher preparation, writing in physics curriculum, integration of physics and mathematics, learning progressions in genetics and learning progressions in ocean sciences across the middle and high school grades, learning progressions for the development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, and science learning in informal contexts (museums, aquariums, field trips, etc.). This program is intended for students desiring a research-oriented doctoral experience. Faculty: Eugenia Etkina, Ravit Golan Duncan, Timothy Zimmerman.  Contact: Eugenia Etkina

Statistics and Measurement.  The specialization in Educational Statistics and Measurement will prepare students in applied statistics and measurement theory to become statisticians and psychometricians with broad expertise in educational assessment and statistical analysis.  An important feature of the program is early exposure to research and active learning through a variety of course offerings.  In addition to taking courses in advanced research methods, students will examine current issues in education and explore fundamental assumptions of research methods through readings on the conduct of educational research.  Faculty:  Chia-Yi Chiu, Jimmy de la Torre, Douglas Penfield.  Contact:  Douglas Penfield

Social Studies Education.  Social Studies is a complex, dynamic, and contested field.  This Ph.D. specialization prepares students to conduct high-quality research on critical issues in social studies education. Students specializing in Social Studies Education will develop an interdisciplinary approach to conceptualizing and conducting research on problems in the field, becoming familiar with historical, pedagogical, curricular, cognitive, sociological, and political understandings of social studies education. By the end of the program students will identify and conduct original research on a problem of special interest. This program is intended for students desiring a research-oriented doctoral experience. Faculty: Ben Justice, Beth Rubin. Contact: Ben Justice, Beth Rubin

The Ph.D. concentration in Theory, Organization and Policy (TOP) is designed to prepare researchers who will work in institutions of higher education, policy organizations, governmental departments of education, and non-governmental organizations concerned with education, broadly defined. Over the last three decades, political leaders in the United States and around the world have increasingly recognized the critical importance of education to economic, political, social and cultural improvement. Policy makers make decisions about such important educational issues as: who teaches, what is taught, how educational success is assessed, how much funding is provided to education, and who pays for that funding. Their decisions have implications for the well-being of families, communities, and the United States' place in the world. Unfortunately, decision makers often pursue educational goals without a clear understanding of their own philosophical assumptions regarding education, the needs for change, the possible results of change (both good and bad), or the social forces that affect actions that legislatures and government bureaucrats take. This program will prepare scholars who want to help find answers to these questions and, in the process, help inform policy makers, educators, and the public about the progress and challenges of education.

The faculty in TOP conducts research in organizational leadership, policy, international and comparative education, as well as in the social science and the humanities disciplines of education. Applicants to this area should explicitly state their scholarly interests in relation to faculty research.

Following an apprenticeship model where a student works closely with one or a few select professors, students specialize in one area of study but learn about other areas that will allow them to develop stronger educational analyses and research designs. Working closely with their academic advisor, students design their own course of study and take courses offered both at the GSE and across Rutgers University. The concentration consists of 18 credits, of which six credits must be classes within the TOP concentration but outside of your faculty advisor’s specialty. In addition, doctoral students register for a minimum of 24 research credits during dissertation study.

The faculty for the concentration in Theory, Organization and Policy are drawn from both within the Graduate School of Education and across the university, and their varied interests and experiences reflect the strong research and scholarly experiences being brought to this exciting concentration as well as the diverse interests supported by the program.  Faculty:  Thea Abu El-Haj, Bruce D. Baker, W. Steven Barnett, Alisa Belzer, William A. Firestone, James M. Giarelli, Benjamin Justice, Edward Liu, Catherine A. Lugg, Beth C. Rubin, Tanja Sargent.  Contact: William Firestone, Catherine Lugg.

The program requires 48 credits of coursework  and 24 credits of dissertation research. Details of the requirements can be found in the pages related to the specific areas of concentrations. All students in the Ph.D. program take a common set of courses and take coursework in their area of specialization.

Admissions 

Admission to the Ph.D. program is based on a review of each completed application by the program faculty and the Ph.D. director. 

All applications are processed through the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 18 Bishop Place, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901-8530, (732)932-7711 or http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/. Please submit your application online. Completed applications are forwarded to the specific program. 

Details about requirements for admission can be found in the pages related to the specific areas of concentrations.

Qualifying Examinations

Students take qualifying examinations at the end of their coursework for the Ph.D. The qualifying examination committee consists of four members of the Ph.D. in Education faculty associated with the particular area of concentration. Once a student has passed the qualifying examinations, the student is admitted as a candidate for the Ph.D. Qualifying examinations are different in the various areas of concentration. More detailed information about these examinations can be found in the pages related to the specific area of concentration.

Dissertation 

Students complete an original piece of research as their dissertation project (24 credits). The research is expected to contribute to the knowledge base in the student’s particular area of interest.