Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction degree provides a theoretical and practical course of study in curriculum and instruction. The program is designed for teachers, curriculum coordinators, college instructors, corporate and agency curriculum planners, academics, and other professional educators. The program enables students to develop a theoretical and conceptual framework for studying teaching and learning, and also encourages professional educators to develop knowledge and practice in their own fields of specialization. The Ph.D. degree requires 66 credits and culminates in a dissertation, focused on an area of investigation that interests the doctoral candidate and benefits the profession. Doctoral candidates have opportunities to participate with faculty on research, in teaching, and in professional activities, including publishing and conference presentations. A 3.0 GPA or better must be maintained, with nothing lower than a C earned in all coursework, throughout the program. A student can take no more than 17 credits in this program as a non-degree student before being officially admitted; those credits are subject to approval by a program advisor.

Area of Specialization Electives: 21 credits at the 6000 level or above

These courses are chosen after speaking with the Program Advisor. Please see “Possible Program Electives” (You are not limited to this list.)

Qualifying Examination

The date of the Qualifying Examination is arranged with your Dissertation Chair upon completion of coursework, or in the same semester as the student completes the coursework.

A minimum of 72 credits post baccalaureate is needed for the completion of the Ph.D. Program. Students may bring up to 6 credits from their Master’s Degree into the Ph.D. program to meet this requirement.

Course Rotation for Core Courses

Please consult the following course rotation schedule to assist you as you create your Plan of Study. The courses below are only offered during the indicated semesters. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction strives to meet the following timetable, but all course offerings are subject to change.

For questions regarding your application status or general inquiries, please call the Graduate College Office at (561) 297-3624 , the office of Student Services at the College of Education (561) 297-3570 , or send an e-mail to graduatecollege@fau.edu .

To be admitted, a student must meet the following requirements AND must submit all documentation to the Graduate College online application portal, upon which departmental approval will be contingent:

1. Send in official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework to the Graduate College at FAU indicating the courses taken and noting completion of a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from a regionally/nationally accredited college or university.
2. Have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or better in the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate work and a GPA of 3.25 or better in a completed master’s degree program. Students may apply to the program with a GPA of less than 3.00 (undergraduate) or 3.25 (graduate) but they must address the score in their professional statement.
3. Provide two letters of recommendation from supervisors and/or professors. Preference is given to recommendation letters which speak to a candidate’s (a) academic research ability, (b) potential for doctoral studies, (c) ability to write, and (d) preparation for rigor of doctoral program.
4. A professional statement describing career goals, research interests, reasons for wanting to enter the C&I program, and identifying potential faculty members in the department with whom the student would like to work. Students with lower than stipulated GPA scores or areas of weakness in their undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts must also address this information in their professional statement.
5. A curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
6. For international students, a TOEFL score of 500 (Paper-Based Test) or 61 (Internet Based Test) or an IELTS band score of 6.0.
7. Upon successful submission and referral of the application to the department, the department will invite applicants to engage in a pre-interview writing task to support their deliberation of the application.
   Selected applicants will then be invited to an interview with department faculty. Applicants will be asked to complete a 45- minute writing task after the interview.
8. Additional requirements for international students may apply. Please refer to the FAU Graduate College for more information email: graduatecollege@fau.edu

If you have any further questions about the program or coursework, please contact the office manager, Jodi Cantor at 561-297-6594 or the doctoral coordinator, Sabrina Sembiante, Ph.D. at ssembiante@fau.edu

Upon notification of admission, the candidate must contact the assigned Program Advisor to design a preliminary plan for their coursework. The Program Advisor explains the process of the doctoral program, states our expectations for doctoral students, answers questions about the curriculum, and discusses the student’s prior experiences, current interests, and future plans.

The electronic Plan of Study must be completed at the midpoint of the coursework. Students eligible for Graduate Assistantships will need to complete a Plan of Study within their first two semesters of coursework.
All doctoral work must be completed within 10 years of date of admission. During the entire Ph.D. process, students are required to enroll for at least 1 credit during at least 2 semesters (fall, spring, or summer) of every academic year, in order to remain eligible for the degree.

A maximum of 17 semester hours of graduate credit earned from Florida Atlantic University in a non-degreeseeking status and a maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate credit earned from another university may be transferred into the program, subject to approval by the Program Advisor.

All College of Education Programs are approved by the Florida Department of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) previously NCATE. Please keep and consult the Florida Atlantic University catalog from the semester that you were admitted to the program, for more details regarding your program.