university of arizona phd education

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Doctoral Degrees

Teaching, learning & sociocultural studies, teaching, learning & sociocultural studies ph.d..

The doctoral program in Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies (TLS) prepares students to investigate and address a broad range of issues in teaching and learning. Emphasizing a sociocultural perspective, the program nurtures innovative ways of knowing, methods of inquiry, and approaches to problem-solving. Students can choose to focus their studies in a variety of areas including:

Bilingual Education & English Language Learners
Children’s & Young Adult Literature in a Diverse World
Diversity & Social Justice in Education
Early Childhood Education: Family & Community Studies
Environmental and Sustainability Education
Indigenous Studies, Education, and Language
Literacies for a Multilingual Multimodal World
Mathematics & Science Education
Teaching & Teacher Education for Social Justice

All areas highlight social justice, equity, and diversity in education

For students interested in research, teaching, and leadership positions upon graduation

Students take two practica courses, including research

Sample courses.

TLS 797 (3) Theoretical and Practical Foundations of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies TLS 640 (3) Multicultural Education and Social Justice

See Coursework for more details.

For more information about the program, contact Program Coordinator Andrea Lauritzen .

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Educational Leadership Doctorate of Education

Quick facts.

University of Arizona College of Education

of all Higher-Ed Institutions

- Center for World University Rankings, 2024

In Best Value Among Arizona's Public Universities

- Payscale, 2022

The Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership, in the Educational Leadership & Policy (EDLP) unit, is designed to advance knowledge and address enduring and future problems in education by:

Exploring issues of social justice for educational equity and opportunity,
Engaging in research situated in socio-cultural, economic, and political contexts,
Addressing the significance of changing and challenging educational contexts.

In the EdD program, you will gain the leadership skills and research background to challenge unjust systems and promote continuous educational improvement in your organizations. You'll continue to work as a full-time practitioner while studying and applying new knowledge to your daily practice. Our program is centered around the Dissertation in Practice, in which students work to address persistent challenges within their current educational organizations.

The EdD program is a member of the prestigious Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate ( CPED ), the nation’s leading organization focused on the Doctorate of Education.

The course sequence and start date of the Ed.D. Programs are subject to change for the incoming cohort.

If you have specific questions about the program, please contact [email protected] .

*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.

The curriculum for this program includes:

EDL 602: Culturally Responsive Leadership and Policy

The purpose of this class is to examine culturally responsive leadership in school contexts through a strong theoretical and research framework. The course will provide aspiring leaders with the guidance to lead, organize, and support their educational settings to effectively serve linguistically and culturally diverse students in a rich and challenging learning environment, ensuring that students are socioculturally integrated.

EDL 604: Leadership for Educational Change

Change is a critical component in any American educational organization. Understanding the need for change, the nature of change, the change process, and the research on change provides a leader with tools to be more effective in dealing with change within their organizations. The purpose of this course is to explore a variety of models and tools for transforming educational settings and investigating the characteristics of leadership as they apply to changing educational organizational structures and processes.

EDL 625: Leadership for the School and Diverse Community

The purpose of this course is to provide students the opportunity to apply theory and research to educational leadership practice diverse education settings. The knowledge bases for this course rest in the Standards for Arizona School Administrators and the standards developed by the Educational Leadership Consortium.

EDL 626: Leadership for Social Justice: Ethics and Law

This course addresses the need for, resurgence of interest in, and recognition of the importance of the study of law and ethics for educational administrators and leaders. The purpose is to study the knowledge base of the multiple perspectives on ethics essential for administrators as they grapple with the ethical dilemmas inherent in educational leadership. This is an interdisciplinary course drawing upon traditional readings in law, ethics, justice, and human rights, newer paradigms such as feminist ethics and the ethics of care, and political, public, and spiritual ethics, as these affect ethical decision making for students and society. The knowledge bases for this course rest in the Standards for Arizona School Administrators and the standards developed by the Educational Leadership Consortium.