Doctor of Philosophy
The School of Education offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs with two main degrees: Curriculum & Instruction, and Educational Leadership & Research.
- Curriculum & Instruction: This degree offers specializations in various areas such as language arts/children’s literature, curriculum studies, early childhood education, English education, foreign language education, gifted education, mathematics education, reading/literacy, science education, social studies education, and special education.
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Educational Leadership & Research: This degree offers specializations in educational leadership, higher education administration, educational research methodology, and educational technology (please note that admissions to the educational technology specialization are currently suspended).
The academic course plan for each student is individually tailored in consultation with a graduate advisory committee, consisting of the student’s major advisor and at least two additional members of the graduate faculty to meet the LSU Graduate School’s requirements.
Application deadlines Curriculum & Instruction:
- Fall admission - February 1 for Priority Admission, April 15 deadline
- Spring admission - November 15
Application deadlines Educational Leadership & Research:
- Educational Leadership specialization
- Fall admission - March 1 for priority admission, April 15 deadline
- Higher Education Administration specialization
- Fall admission - February 1 for priority admission, April 15 deadline
- Spring admission - November 15
- Summer admission - April 15
Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum & Instruction | PhD
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum & Instruction (PhD) prepares graduates for careers as scholars, researchers or teacher educators in higher education or to hold research-oriented leadership positions.
Admitted students are anticipated to have a master’s degree; students who do not have a master’s degree must complete a 90-hour curriculum required for the PhD.
The PhD degree program requires passing of a General Exam consisting of written questions and a comprehensive oral exam; write a dissertation proposal and pass an oral defense of the proposal; and write a dissertation and pass an oral defense of the dissertation. To graduate, students must earn a total of 90 graduate-level credit hours, including 9-18 credit hours dedicated to the dissertation.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- To be eligible for this specialization, students should have a minimum composite score of 297, with a minimum verbal score of 153 and a minimum quantitative score of 144.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
Curricular requirements include:
- Six hours of core courses
- Nine hours in research methods
- 12 - 18 hours of dissertation research
- 50 hours in the area of specialization
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership & Research | PhD
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership & Research (PhD) prepares graduates to become scholars and administrators in colleges and universities, and to use research and data to implement academic structures that address student needs.
Admitted students are anticipated to have a master’s degree; students who do not have a master’s degree must complete a 90-hour curriculum required for the PhD.
The PhD degree program requires passing of a General Exam consisting of written questions and a comprehensive oral exam; write a dissertation proposal and pass an oral defense of the proposal; and write a dissertation and pass an oral defense of the dissertation. To graduate, students must earn a total of 90 graduate-level credit hours, including 9-18 credit hours dedicated to the dissertation.
Admission Requirements:
Candidates must have at least 3 years of teaching experience to be admitted. Students pursuing the Educational Leadership Specialization are expected to ideally have earned a Master’s degree in educational leadership. We occasionally accept students with a Master’s in an educational field; however, these students may be required to take additional coursework on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to the Graduate School requirements, the Educational Leadership Specialization requires:
- Minimum one-page letter of intent that explains the reasons why you are seeking a PhD
- Current curriculum vitae
- At least two professional letters of recommendation, and
- Competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), verbal, quantitative, and writing sections.
The curricular requirements for Educational Leadership include:
- A core area of 20 hours which includes 14 hours of research, and six hours in a school core.
- 24 hours in the primary area of P-12 Leadership specialization.
- Nine hours of dissertation research.
- Admitted students are anticipated to have a master’s degree; students who do not have a master’s degree must complete a minimum of 37 hours in addition to the 53 hours required for the PhD.
Meet current doctoral students and recent graduates on this webpage.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
The curricular requirements for Educational Research Methodology include:
- A school core area of six hours.
- 14 hours in educational leadership and research program courses.
- 12 hours in the primary area of educational research methodology.
- 12 hours in an allied field.
- Three hours of advanced research practicum.
- Nine hours of dissertation research.
- Admitted students are anticipated to have a master’s degree; students who do not have a master’s degree must complete a minimum of 34 hours in addition to the 56 hours required for the PhD.
Admission Requirements:
- Transcripts
- GRE scores
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students)
- An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or the last 60 hours of coursework
- The minimum requirements for admission are a score of 153 on the verbal and 144 on the quantitative sections of the GRE; Lower GRE scores may be considered contingent on the GPA.
The curricular requirements for Higher Education Administration include:
- A core area of 19 hours which includes 11 of research, and six hours in a school core.
- 24 hours in the primary area of higher education, of which at least 15 hours must be completed during the doctoral program. If a student does not have a previously earned graduate degree in higher education, all 24 hours must be in the primary area of higher education.
- Nine hours of dissertation research.
- Admitted students are anticipated to have a master’s degree; students who do not have a master’s degree must complete a minimum of 38 hours in addition to the 52 hours required for the PhD.