Ph.D. in Education

Overview

The PhD in Education at URI offers equity-minded scholars a rigorously designed program of study to further develop their skills at research and communication by working with recognized experts on our faculty. 

You will have unique opportunities to delve deeply into your chosen area of interest, and will develop the tools to apply, critique, design, and implement your research with a focus toward improving educational opportunities for all.

Learning Format

Students have the option to complete the program either full or part time. In order to finish within the Graduate School’s 7-year time limit, full time students must enroll in at least 3 courses each semester with optional summer courses. Part time students typically take two courses a semester and enroll in summer courses. 

To accommodate the schedules of working professionals, all required courses begin at 4:00 p.m. or later. The program contains a majority of in-person classes on the Kingston campus with some hybrid courses available. In order to foster community among students, most foundational courses and required research courses are held in person in Kingston campus. Focus courses and summer course offerings have some hybrid and online options.

What You’ll Learn

You will acquire a depth of knowledge and specialized expertise required to advance your field within education and work toward equity in education. You will learn to:

• Describe, analyze, and evaluate historic, philosophic, and theoretical foundations of education in order to identify and respond to critical and contemporary issues in education
• Apply theory to equitable educational practice within a specialized area of education

You will gain expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and analytic skills. You will learn to:

• Articulate, evaluate, and apply rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods of educational research.
• Develop and implement a research design that is appropriate to address specific research questions in a specialized field of education.

You will become a proficient communicator of educational scholarship, its practical applications, and implications for varied stakeholders. You will learn to:

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate research to varied stakeholders.
• Synthesize existing research and build new knowledge through scholarly writing.