Gladys L. Benerd School of Education

Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction

About the Degree

The Doctor of Education is the highest professional degree in Education. The program serves professionals who are leaders in Curriculum and Instruction in schools, districts, or universities. The program also prepares educators for teaching at the college or university level.

Students are initially admitted as Provisional in status. After completion of 12 units, student work and program goals are reviewed for acceptance as Full Admission.

Prerequisite Requirement

There is a prerequisite requirement of having completed a master's-level course in curriculum theories. Students who do not have such a course will need to add this course to their program of studies.

Program Requirements

• 15 units in a required research core of courses
• 30 units in the major
• 10 units (minimum) of dissertation; 5 additional units required if particular timelines are exceeded
• Qualifying Scholarly Activities (QSA), consisting of three 3 approved projects. Students will work with a faculty mentor and two additional faculty committee members in the department to gain approval of the QSA proposal. Once the three projects are completed, the three faculty will evaluate, provide feedback for improvement, and then approve the projects. The student will then schedule and present the projects in an oral defense. Successful completion and defense of the three QSA projects and completion of research core courses and major courseslead to Candidacy status.
• Dissertation: Students will develop and designtheir dissertation proposal, defend the proposal, initiate and complete the study, and subsequently defend the dissertation in an oral defense. The successful dissertation defense results in the completion of the doctoral degree.

Admission Information

Students apply to the  Office of Research and Graduate Studies of the University for admission.

All materials must be submitted as a completed application to the Research and Graduate Studies Office.

Admission to this program is a holistic decision, and is based on the following:

• 3.5 grade point average (GPA) (on a 4-point scale) on the last 60 units of a completed Master's degree.
• The completed Graduate School application form
• An essay about your goals and reasons for applying for the program
• Three letters of reference from professional colleagues
• Official Transcripts
• Scores from the  Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Examination

Additional Information

Click here for a complete brochure.

For additional information, please contact  Dr. Thomas Nelson.

Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Gladys L. Benerd School of Education
3601 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA 95211

Phone: (209) 946-2558
Fax: (209) 946-3110