Program Overview

Introduction to the Teaching and Learning Ph.D. Program

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Teaching and Learning is a research degree designed to prepare the student to become a scholar who can discover, integrate, and apply knowledge, as well as communicate and disseminate it. The intent of the program is to prepare the student to make a significant original contribution to knowledge in a specialized field.

Overview of the Program

The Teaching and Learning Doctoral Program is designed for individuals who seek to investigate learning and teaching from birth, as well as the dynamics within and surrounding educational school systems. The Ph.D. program is deliberate in providing rich opportunities to work with and learn from expert faculty and other Ph.D.-seeking students. This program offers students a range of scholarly focus areas, including:

• Art Education
• Early Childhood Education
• Elementary Education
• English Education
• Equity-Oriented Education
• Mathematics Education
• Secondary Education
• Science Education
• Social Studies Education
• Social Foundations
• Literacy
• Professional Development
• Instructional Coaching
• Pre-Service & New Teacher Education

Working alongside faculty, students design a program of study and research uniquely suited to their areas of interest. The Teaching and Learning Ph.D. program prepares critically reflective professionals who are dedicated to access and equity, providing theoretical and practical training for a wide variety of leadership positions in colleges and universities, policy, and school districts.

Program Goals and Outcomes

Program Goals

1. Develop expertise in an area of research that impacts teaching and learning.
2. Understand, describe, and critically evaluate issues of equity and identity in educational research and practice.
3. Understand and apply research processes, methods, and theories in education.
4. Critically analyze and evaluate research in education and identify areas for future research.
5. Ethically conduct high-quality scholarly research that contributes to the fields of teaching and learning.

Program Outcomes

1. Students will be prepared for a position in teacher education or other educational appointments such as working with the department of education, engaging at the district level, educational consulting, working with non-profit education, educational lobbying, educational policy, or related educational organization or position.
2. Students will teach a college/university undergraduate class and/or demonstrate competency in instructional methods as they relate to higher education.
3. Students will conduct state, regional, and/or national presentations as a primary presenter and/or demonstrate competency in scholarly communication within a professional setting.
4. Students will submit manuscripts for publication (national level preferred) as a primary author and/or demonstrate competency in scholarly writing in an external resource.
5. Students will complete original scholarly research for their dissertation (either 3-article or 5-chapter).

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Program

The Teaching and Learning doctoral program admits students for a fall entrance term. Only complete applications are considered for admission. To ensure consideration for an assistantship or University Fellowship, applicants are encouraged to apply by the priority deadline.

Application Deadlines

• January 15, early decision deadline (for in-person and synchronous online students)
• March 15, traditional deadline (for synchronous online students only)

Application Requirements

To be considered for the program, applicants must:

• Have a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Have a master's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
• Have a minimum of two years PK-12 teaching experience or the equivalent
  • Three years of PK-12 teaching experience is recommended if you want to pursue a higher education position
• Submit an online Graduate School application which requires:
  • Unofficial transcripts (official transcript(s) will be required if you are accepted into the program)
  • A current resume
  • Two recommendation forms
    • Recommendation forms are emailed directly to recommenders via the online application process
  • A letter of intent
    • The letter should communicate the applicant's purpose for seeking the doctorate, professional goals, and potential areas for research
    • The letter should be a maximum of two single-spaced pages in length
  • Official TOEFL/IELTS scores for international students
• Submit a virtual video interview (meritorious applications only)
• If students do not have at least nine hours of graduate credit in their cognate area, then they may be required to take additional courses.

Program Requirements

Teaching and Learning Ph.D. (57 credit hour minimum)

• Doctoral Seminars (2 credit hours)
  • ED 9030 - Introductory Doctoral Seminar I
  • ED 9040 - Introductory Doctoral Seminar II
• Core Courses (12 credit hours)
  • ED 9320 - Pedagogy & Practice
  • ED 9340 - Research Frameworks & Literature Reviews
  • ED 9540 - Curriculum Theory
  • ED 9700 - Equity & Identity in Education
• Research Courses (13 credit hours)
  • EDF 9270 - Quantitative Research Designs and Statistics for Educational Contexts
  • EDF 9271 - Quantitative Research Designs and Statistics for Educational Contexts Lab
  • EDF 9790 - Qualitative Research in Education
  • Must take at least two of the following advanced research courses: EDF 9080, 9710, 9720, 9730, 9740, 9750, 9770, 9780, or 9810.
• Self-Designed Cognate (12 credit hour minimum)
  • Courses will be selected with the committee to design a program of study to meet the individual needs and goals of the student.
• Dissertation Course (18 credit hour minimum)
  • ED 9910 - Doctoral Dissertation Research

Financial Information

Tuition and Fees

Explore information on tuition and fees using the Student Financial Services' tuition and fee calculator. The selected modality, either in-person or synchronous online, will determine the fee structure used in the tuition and fee calculator.

Financial Aid

For information regarding Financial Aid, please contact the office of Student Financial Aid.

Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available each year through the department, and they tend to be competitive. Assistantships are available to full-time students (enrolled in at least nine credit hours per semester) and typically require a 20-hour per week work commitment.

Program Delivery

Embedded within a R1 public university and designed for working professionals and full-time students alike, the Clemson Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning program is offered through a HyFlex option and can be completed through traditional face-to-face instruction or synchronous online instruction.

• In-person option: Offers courses via the main Clemson campus. Classes may be offered Monday through Thursday evenings, beginning no earlier than 4:30 p.m. EST.
• Synchronous online option: Provides students the chance to join in-person courses virtually. Through the synchronous online option, students have the opportunity to develop relationships with peers and faculty and pursue the degree while maintaining their current employment and living situation.