Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Total minimum hours: 51 hours  (including Dissertation)

General C & I Requirements (Minimum: 21 hours)

Foundation Requirements (9 hours required)

• EDC 380F  Sociocultural Foundations
• EDC 381F  Introduction to Teaching and Teacher Education
• EDC 383F  Curriculum Theory

Research Methodology Requirements (12 hours minimum)

To be taken in sequence:
Step 1 (3 hours)

• EDC 381R  Introduction to Systems of Human Inquiry

Prerequisite to Step 2 (EDC 385R):  

• EDC 382R Fundamentals of Statistics

Other course choices for this requirement include: EDP 371, EDP 380E  
or an adviser approved statistics course brought in from other institution.

Step 2 (6 hours in any order)

• EDC 385R  Introduction to Quantitative Research
• EDC 386R  Introduction to Qualitative Research

Step 3 (3 hours, one course topic from either category)

• EDC 387R  Advanced Quantitative Research

or

• EDC 388R  Advanced Qualitative Research  

Directed Research (Minimum: 12 hours)

EDC 396T Directed Research in Curriculum & Instruction (6 hours minimum)
Two additional courses that include a substantial research component approved by academic adviser.

Please Note: EDC 396T can be taken more than once for credit.

ECE Program Area Specifics:

• EDC 396T    Directed Research (take two)
• EDC 385G    Research in Early Childhood Education

* Select one of the following after consulting with program adviser:

• EDC 385G    Inquiry in Play
• EDC 385G    Thinking as Social Construction in Childhood
• EDC 385G    Parents and Education

Specialization Requirements (Minimum:  18 hours)

Students with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education will take additional related courses (minimum 18 hours), selected with the assistance and approval of the area program adviser. To help meet their personal career goals, students are encouraged to select courses from other clusters in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Among the courses that might be selected to fulfill this requirement are the following:

• EDC 385G      Social Context of Childhood Education
• EDC 385G      Inquiry in Play
• EDC 385G      Thinking as Social Construction in Childhood
• EDC 385G      Parents and Education
• EDC 385G      Theories of Childhood Education
• EDC 385G      Early Childhood Education Programs
• EDC 385G      Research in Early Childhood Education
• EDC 385G      Early Childhood Teacher Education
• EDC 385G      Critical Perspectives on Childhood Education IV

Courses Outside the Department (Minimum:  6 hours)

Select courses in consultation with adviser.  Courses must be graduate level and other than EDC.

(Coursework from sections General Requirements, Directed Research, and Special Requirements may fulfill this requirement, thus, hours in this section may already be counted as credit towards total hours.)

Dissertation (Minimum: 6 hours & two consecutive semesters of dissertation)

Students are required to continuously register for dissertation once they have advanced to candidacy.  Curriculum and Instruction students are required to register for 6 hours of dissertation credit* during each fall and spring semester during which they are working on their dissertation research.

*EDC 699R and 699W:
The first semester in candidacy is 699R; for all semesters after the first one in candidacy you must register for 699W.  

Please note:

1.    International students and students receiving fellowship, assistantship, or other
financial aid, may be required to take 9 hours of dissertation credit each semester.  
2.    A checklist of the entire C&I doctoral program process is available on the department
website at http:www.edb.utexas.edu/education/departments/ci/students/grad/degrees/phd/  

Download the ECE Ph.D. degree plan (pdf)