Curriculum and Instruction, Doctor of Education

In addition to University Requirements:

• Complete individual plan requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion	90
Additional Admission Requirements	Required
Dissertation	Dissertation is required.
Oral Defense	Oral Defense is required.
Fieldwork Experience/Internship	Required
Research	Individualized research is required.

Purpose Statement

In this flexible doctor of education program, you will build knowledge around issues, theories, and research in curriculum and instruction. Our program also provides opportunities to teach university-level classes, conduct research with faculty, and present at local, regional and national conferences.
This degree is designed to prepare you for a variety of possible paths. Our graduates work in areas such as:

• higher education
• research
• K-12 systems
• non-profit organizations

You will design your program to support your focus area. We offer four emphases:

1. Content
2. >Higher Education
3. Research
4. Technology in Education

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Integrate deepened understandings of curriculum and instruction, by explicating and evaluating  the major movements, theories, and methodologies of these fields, situating their sources and articulating the relationships and implications to areas within the education-related venues of the students’ professional orientations.
2. Clarify the multiple contexts that shape curricular and instructional decision-making, including such areas as: socio-cultural, political, economic, organizational, and historical.  
3. Articulate how theoretical frameworks in curriculum and instruction can and often should be constructed from successful practice as understood broadly in professional contexts.
4. Create sustained, coherent arguments or explanations summarizing elements of curriculum and instruction theory and literature with general and professional audiences.
5. Examine the significant challenges involved in applying curriculum and instruction theory within the students’ professional venues, clarifying the leading edges, exploring the current limits of theory, knowledge, and practice, and how these appear in practice across socio-political contexts. 
6. Engage the broad range of research methods, modes of inquiry and quantitative and qualitative methods used to investigate questions within curriculum and instruction and to evaluate and apply research findings within their inquiries and dissertations.
7. Make significant and novel advancements in the understanding of curriculum and instruction designing an original research study of personal or professional interest and importance including: planning, organizing, scheduling, and executing the project.
   • Articulate the theoretical framework for the project (including conducting a literature review to assess the theoretical and methodological contributions previously made to this area)
   • Creatively generate alternative problem-solving ideas, practices, or solutions within the dissertation area.
   • Identify and define appropriate variables and methods of data collection, select and apply quantitative and qualitative research methods appropriate to the research design, and analyze, interpret and explain findings
   • Scrutinize and evaluate various assumptions, evidence, and reasoning throughout the project.
   • Evaluate the effectiveness of the project and its implications to the fields of curriculum and instruction.
   • Present original empirical  research to professional and non-professional audiences, articulating sustained, coherent explanations summarizing work.
   • Conduct a dissertation defense to a community of curriculum and instruction faculty and peers

Additional Admission Requirements

• Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
  
  Admission requirements include the following:

  • Transcripts.
  • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.

  
  Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
  
  Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

  International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

• • GRE® revised General Test or Miller Analogies Exam

• • Three letters of recommendation
  • A writing sample
  • A personal statement or essay

Doctoral Requirements

• Take the following 90 units:
  

  • ECI 710, ECI 730, ECI 740 (9 units)
  • Select one course from: EDF 703, EDF 711, EPS 712 (3 units)
  • EDF 672 (3 units)
  • ECI 675, EDR 610, EDR 611, EPS 525 (12 units)
  • One Educational Foundations course numbered 500 or above (3 units)
  • ECI 761, ECI 796, EPS 720 (9 units)
  • Select one course from: EDR 720, EDR 725, EDR 730 (3 units)
  • EPS 625 or EPS 725 (3 units)
  • Planned Focus covering current thought in an area of applied curriculum and instruction. This must include courses in foundational/theoretical/philosophical perspectives, research methodology, and new developments. (18 units)
  • Select one course from: ECI 649, ECI 666, ECI 696, ECI 771. We recommend that this course be outside your focus area. (3 units)
  • ECI 798 (3 units)
  • Additional graduate coursework (12 units)
  • ECI 799, for the research, writing, and oral defense of an approved dissertation. You may end up taking more than the required units you can count toward your degree because you must register for it each semester while you are working on your dissertation. (9 units)
  For more information about residency and other requirements that pertain to this degree, see Doctoral Requirements Policy.

• Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

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