Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (TLPL)
Program Overview
Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (TLPL)
The TLPL Ph.D. program offers students a choice of six related specializations:
- Education Policy and Leadership
- Language, Literacy and Social Inquiry
- Mathematics and Science Education
- Teacher Education and Professional Development
- Technology, Learning and Leadership
- Urban Education
These specializations prepare doctoral students to assume a variety of roles, including scholars, researchers, policy analysts, teacher educators, instructional specialists, curriculum developers, teachers, education leaders, and advocates. They also provide students with new opportunities for interdisciplinary study that emphasize scholarship in critical areas of education research, including teacher preparation, STEM fields of education, literacy and language acquisition, education policy and leadership.
Financial Assistance
The Department offers graduate assistantships to all newly admitted, full-time Ph.D. students. In addition, TLPL is able to award a limited number of Graduate School fellowships each year. These fellowships are awarded only to full-time graduate students. All Ph.D. applicants seeking to become full-time students will be considered for a fellowship—no additional application is needed.
General Requirements
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcript(s)
- TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)
Program-Specific Requirements
- Letters of Recommendation (3)
- CV/Resume
- Writing Sample
Applications for the Ph.D. program are accepted for the Fall only.
To be recommended for full admission to the TLPL Ph.D. program, a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 is required. A minimum graduate grade point average of 3.5 is required for applicants who have completed a graduate program. Students who do not meet one of these requirements, but show other evidence of outstanding potential, will be considered for provisional admission. Admission offers are limited to match available financial and faculty resources. Note that the GRE is not required.
Application Deadlines
- Domestic Applicants: December 2, 2025
- International Applicants: December 2, 2025
Faculty
The faculty list includes:
- Afflerbach, Peter P.
- Alexander, Kerry
- Allen, Keisha
- Baccus, Ayanna
- Barton, Reka
- Blazar, David
- Brantlinger, Andrew
- Brown, Tara
- Campbell, Patricia F.
- Chambliss, Marilyn J.
- Chazan, Daniel
- Comstock, Meghan
- Croninger, Robert G.
- Davidson, Neil A.
- De Lorenzo, William E.
- Dreher, Mariam Jean
- Eaker, Lisa
- Elby, Andy
- Eley, George, Jr.
- Fagan, Drew
- Finkelstein, Barbara J.
- Galindo, Claudia
- Goffney, Imani
- Hankerson, Shenika
- Herschbach, Dennis R.
- Hultgren, Francine H.
- Imig, David
- Johnson, Martin L.
- Jones, Loren
- Kane, Shannon
- Ke, Fengfeng
- Ketelhut, Diane Jass
- Kirschner, Sara
- Koziol, Stephen
- Levin, Daniel
- Liu, Jing
- Liu, Rossina Zamora
- MacSwan, Jeff
- Mahalingappa, Laura
- Martin-Beltran, Melinda
- McGrew, Sarah
- Moore, Sarah C.K.
- Napp Aveli, Carolina
- Nyamekye-Frazier, Farhaana
- O'Flahavan, John F.
- Peercy, Megan
- Peterson, Margaret
- Polat, Nihat
- Pérez Belda, Antonio Alejandro
- Quintos, Beatriz
- Rice, Jennifer K.
- Roderick, Jessie A.
- Rolstad, Kellie
- Saracho, Olivia N.
- Scribner, Campbell
- Selden, Steven
- Slater, Wayne H.
- Stoltz, Angela
- Terrell-Shockley, Ebony
- Turner, Jennifer
- Valli, Linda R.
- Walker, Margaret
- Walkoe, Janet
- Weintrop, David
- Wilson, Peggy
- Wiseman, Donna
Facilities and Special Resources
Faculty and students in the department work closely with area schools, colleges, universities, associations, and other education-related organizations. Extensive resources in the Washington, D.C., area, including embassies and other international organizations, provide exceptional opportunities for internships and field experiences, research, and materials to enhance formal course experiences. Facilities that support graduate study include the Center for Mathematics Education, the Center for Science and Technology in Education, the Multilingual Research Center, and the Maryland Equity Project. Additional facilities in the College of Education include the Educational Technology Services Center.