Curriculum and Instruction, Ph.D., Concentration in Literacy Education

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Offered online with a residency component, the UW curriculum and instruction program allows you to choose from among four concentrations to satisfy many of your requirements at a distance or with face-to-face experiences.

Required Courses

REQUIRED COURSES (79 CREDIT HOURS)

Program Knowledge Base
Students must complete 9 hours of core courses. You must take the required course listed below and then select an additional 6 credit hours of courses in consultation with your doctoral advisor and committee.

PRST 5610 - Introduction to Doctoral Study (3 credit hours) Required

Electives chosen in consultation with committee:

EDCI 5600 - Diversity in Education (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5660 - Proposal Writing (3 credit hours)
EDAD 5720 - Educational Leader as Change Agent (3 credit hours)
EDCI 5810 - Writing for Professional Publication (3 credit hours)
CNSL 5900 - Practicum in College Teaching (3 credit hours)

Advanced Research Courses

Students must take a minimum of 12 hours of research methods in quantitative, qualitative, or other methodologies. Student must take the required courses listed below and then select an additional 3 credit hours of courses in collaboratioin with the thier doctoral advisor and committee.

EDRE 5530 - Introduction to Research (3 credit hours) Pre-requisite if not taken as part of the master’s work. Does not meet doctoral level requirements.
EDRE 5600 - Ed Research 1: Descriptive (3 credit hours) Required
EDRE 5640 - Intro to Qualitative Research (3 credit hours) Required

Electives chosen in consultation with committee:

EDRE 5610 - Ed Research 2: Group Comp. (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5620 - Ed Research 3 - Correlational (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5630 - Ed Research 4: Multivariate (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5550 - Action Research (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5645 - Phenomenology, Case Study, Grounded Theory (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5655 - Ethnography & Narrative Inquiry (3 credit hours) 
EDRE 5870 - Introduction to Discourse Analysis (3 credit hours)
EDRE 5670 - Mixed Methods Research (3 credit hours)

Literacy Education Concentration
A student must enroll in all 21 credit hours listed below. If additional courses are needed, they can be selected from graduate-level courses within the literacy program or from other relevant academic departments at the UW. Course selection decisions will be made collaboratively by the doctoral student, their advisor and committee.

LTED 5480 - Issues in English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education
LTED 5800 - Theoretical Perspectives on Literary Processes and Practices
LTED 5810 - Theoretical Perspectives on Writing
LTED 5830 - Review, Critique, and Synthesis of Literacy Research
LTED 5850 - Foundational Scholars in Social Science Research
LTED 5860 - History of Literacies
LTED 5880 - Public Digital Scholarship

Dissertation Hours
Students must enroll in a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation research credit during the period they plan, implement, and defend their dissertation.

EDCI 5980 Dissertation Research (6 credit hours) Required
EDRE 5660 Dissertation Prospectus Writing (6 credit hours)

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

After coursework is completed, you mush satisfy the below requirements before completing your program and gaining your doctoral credential.

Preliminary Exam - After completing your coursework you will need to take a preliminary exam.
Program Outcomes - You must submit written demonstration to show you have met the learning outcomes determined by your program, department, or committee.
Dissertation - After your preliminary exam, you will present and defend your doctoral dissertation.
Residency - You must satisy all requirements of your residency.

Additional Information:

Graduate students will take advanced coursework in Literacy Education, collaborate with faculty on grants and research projects, and have the opportunity to teach and supervise students in undergraduate literacy education courses. In addition to acquiring a breadth of knowledge in foundational areas in literacy education, students will have an opportunity to focus on specific areas in literacy education, such as Emergent Literacy, Family Literacy, Early Childhood Literacy, Elementary Grade Literacy, Adolescent Literacy, Disciplinary Literacy, Children’s and Young Adult Literature, English Education, Literacy Teacher Education, New Literacies, Evaluation and Instruction of Students with Reading Difficulties, Literacy Education for English Learners, and Literacy Education for Culturally Diverse Students.

Application Process

For students to be considered for admission to the PhD in Literacy Education program, they must:

Submit all application materials. Please note: Preference will be given to applicants who apply on or before February 1 each year for the following year.

Deadlines

Applications for program are due September 1 for spring semester admission and February 1 for summer or fall semester admission.
Complete an online application to the Literacy Education PhD Program. Submit supporting materials with the online application (see below).
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in prior undergraduate or graduate work
Interview with Literacy Education Program faculty, either in person or via telephone
Master’s degree is preferred

Supporting materials include:

A current resume or vita;
A detailed letter that expresses why the applicant wishes to pursue a PhD in Literacy Education, including the applicant’s career goals; the applicant’s prior experiences in literacy or literacy education (e.g., relevant teaching or other educational experiences); previous university degrees, programs, certificates, or emphases related to literacy; potential areas of focus in a literacy doctoral program; potential research interests; and any other information the applicant considers to be relevant to her or his admission;
Three Letters of Recommendation from those who can speak to the applicant’s intellect, scholarly abilities, teaching ability, or other qualifications for doctoral study. These letters typically would be former professors, supervisors, or administrators;
An official report of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) that was taken within the preceding 5 years;
An Application for a Graduate Assistantship should the student wish to seek one;
An academic writing sample is not required, but is preferred.
TOEFL or IELTS test is required for international students. Until further notice, due to COVID-19 related postponements/cancellations of TOEFL/IELTS exams, we will be accepting Duolingo scores or 110 or higher as proof of English proficiency.

Coursework:

A minimum of 54 hours beyond the master’s degree are required as follows:

Research: A minimum of 12 hours of research methods in quantitative, qualitative, or other methodologies are required. The courses will be selected collaboratively by the doctoral student and her or his PhD advisor and committee such that the research methodology training is thorough, rigorous, and compatible with the student’s dissertation research plans and anticipated career research focus.
Core: Students must complete 9 hours of core courses. Students must enroll in PRST 5610,”Introduction to Doctoral Study,” and two of the following courses selected collaboratively by the doctoral student and her or his PhD advisor and committee:
- PRST 5900 Practicum in College Teaching
- EDCI 5600 Diversity in Education
- EDCI 5810 Writing for Professional Publication
- EDCI 5730 Learning Theories: Research & Praxis
- EDCI 5665 History & Philosophy of Education
Literacy Education: A minimum of 21 hhours of doctoral literacy coursework is required, which includes the following seven courses (i.e., LTED 5800, 5880, 5860, 5830, 5850, 5480, and 5810). Additional courses may be selected from existing and new advanced, graduate-level courses within the Literacy Program Area; from courses in other departments in the College of Education; and from other relevant academic departments at the University (e.g., Anthropology, Communication Disorders; English, Family and Consumer Sciences; African American, Chicano, American Indian, or Women’s Studies; Psychology, Sociology). Course selection decisions will be made collaboratively by the doctoral student in consultation with the student’s PhD advisor and committee based on the doctoral student’s prior graduate work and post-doctorate career goals.
Dissertation Research: Students must enroll for a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation research credit durig the period they plan, implement, and defend their dissertation.
Preliminary Examination: The Preliminary Examination (also called the Comprehensive Examination) for the PhD in Literacy Education is governed by policies specified in Chaper 1 of the UW Student Handbook/Thesis & Dissertation Format Guide. Program-specific procedures for the preliminary examination for the PhD in Literacy Education are as follows

Research Apprenticeship:

Doctoral students are required to participate in a research apprenticeship in which they work closely with a faculty member in order to gain experience and skills in conducting research. The apprenticeship may involve an ongoing faculty project or may be a project initiated by the student and faculty member. Examples of acceptable apprenticeships include:

writing an IRB or grant proposal
collecting and analyzing data (e.g., a qualitative analysis, a statistical analysis)
writing a research report for publication independently or collaboratively with a faculty member
presenting theoretical or empirical work at a professional conference independently or collaboratively with a faculty member
a project that enhances the student’s ability to conduct rigorous educational research.

The Research Apprenticeship must be approved in advance by the doctoral committee, and at the committee’s discretion, students may enroll for independent study graduate credit as part of the Research Apprenticeship experience