The Ph.D. degree prepares students to fill positions in a wide variety of settings: higher education, schools, agencies, and private practice. Students in the language and literacy Ph.D. program take a minimum of 60 semester hours beyond their master’s degree. At the end of their course work, students take a comprehensive examination, write a proposal, conduct research, compose a dissertation, and defend their work to program faculty.

Learning Outcomes

• Foundational Knowledge. Candidates have knowledge of the foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction.
• Instructional Strategies and Curriculum Materials. Candidates use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and curriculum materials to support reading and writing instruction.
• Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation. Candidates use a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction.
• Creating a Literate Environment. Candidates create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing by integrating foundational knowledge, use of instructional practices, approaches and methods, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments.
• Professional Development. Candidates view professional development as a career-long effort and responsibility.

Admission

In addition to The Graduate School’s application requirements, applicants must submit a letter of intent.

Degree Requirements (60 Post-Masters Hours)

Required Courses in Language and Literacy (21 Hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
EDRD 800	Literacy Education P-12	3
EDRD 801	Critical Perspective on English/Language Arts	3
EDRD 803	Pedagogical Applications of Reader Response Theory	3
EDRD 811	Cultural Perspective on Psychological and Social Foundations of Literacy Learning	3
Select three additional language and literacy courses as approved by advisor		9
Total Credit Hours		21

Internship (6 Hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
EDRD 850	Internship in Language and Literacy Education (May be repeated once for a total of 6 hours.)	6
Total Credit Hours		6

Required Courses in Research (18 Hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
EDRM 710	Educational Statistics I	3
Select one research course from below:		3
EDFI 730	Qualitative Epistemologies, Paradigms, & Theories
EDFI 731	Qualitative Inquiry
Select four additional courses in either quantitative or qualitative methodology		12
Total Credit Hours		18

Electives (3 Hours)

• 3 hours of electives as approved by advisor.

Dissertation Preparation (12 Hours)

• Select 12 hours