Prepare to be a leader in social studies education. Our graduates take up applied research careers in schools, universities, and community programs with this doctoral degree. Graduates of this degree often have a more applied research focus than PhD students.
Students in the Doctor of Education program take coursework that offer them a depth of knowing the field of social studies education and prepare them as experts in their area of focus and their research. The program supports the development of students’ scholarly identities. Throughout the program, students consider where and how they situate themselves in the field as a researcher of/in contemporary social studies issues. They also do the things that scholars do – engage in research with faculty, present at conferences, publish papers, mentor students, explore college teaching, and find their intellectual community. Students select courses at Teachers College, Columbia University, and in the Doctoral Consortium in NYC to develop a focus area of study – historical understanding, memory studies, activism and civics, peace studies, global education. Students take introductory and advanced coursework in specific research paradigms so they are prepared for the independent work of the dissertation. This coursework is determined with an advisor and the entire program faculty.
Our location in New York City makes us unique, whether students conduct their research here or elsewhere. The city is a wonderful educational laboratory for an array of student interests. Here, so many different kinds of educational institutions exist within the NYCDOE and in the multitude of non-profit entities that educate. We are also a significant place in the global flow of intellectual, cultural, and civic discourse and possibility.
The Doctor of Education in Social Studies requires 90 points of graduate study and a dissertation. The Ed.D. program in Social Studies leads to a professional degree designed to meet the needs of individuals preparing for careers of leadership and applied research in schools, universities, and community educational programs.
Courses in the major field (15 points minimum):
Required courses:
Research courses, seminars, and individual work (23 points minimum):
Required courses:
Other offerings:
Students are encouraged to take courses in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies selected in consultation with an advisor.
Broad and basic areas of professional scholarship (15 points minimum):
In consultation with an advisor, students will select at least one course in each of the following areas: the nature of education; the nature of persons and the learning process; curriculum, schooling, and leadership; and methods of evaluation. Other coursework in this area should be tailored to the individual student’s needs; consult an advisor.
Content courses in the major field (21 points minimum):
Soon after beginning this program, students should select an area of emphasis. These courses should be selected for their applicability to the student’s area of dissertation research. Coursework in the area of emphasis normally includes attention to the subject matters themselves as well as to questions related to educational programs in those subject matters.
Further requirements:
In addition to the dissertation, there are other requirements. Students should consult an advisor in the Program and read the Doctoral Students Handbook for Social Studies.