The interdepartmental Doctoral Specialization in Teacher Education is designed primarily for students wishing to focus professionally on teacher education, at any level and in any of a multitude of contexts, as practitioners and as scholars. The history, theory, practice, design, evaluation, governance, and prospects of teacher education, both as it is connected to professional licensure and independent of licensure, are all at issue in this focus, but prospective students should be mindful that the chief mission of the Specialization is the professional preparation of teacher education scholar-practitioners—and mindful, too, that transformation of the field is an over-arching aim of the Specialization.
The Specialization is suitable for doctoral students who have successfully completed a year of doctoral study, who have had some P-12 teaching experience, and who intend to obtain (or already have) some experience mentoring, coaching, supervising, teaching less experienced teachers. Students who want to make this focus on teacher education an integral part of their doctoral experience generally “declare” the Specialization (please see “What Next”).
Most of the core courses in the Specialization are open (typically on basis of instructor approval) to students who do not declare; qualified Masters students are encouraged to explore the possibilities.
We welcome your interest. If you would like to discuss the Specialization, your own interests and aspirations, and how they might fit together, Specialization faculty and current students are very happy to consult. To make an appointment, please send an email briefly describing your background, your program and year in the program, and any specific questions you may have, to Professor Dirck Roosevelt, dr2692@tc.columbia.edu.
Doctoral candidates who have successfully completed one year of doctoral study at TC, who have some prior experience teaching (P – 12), and who secure advisor approval, are eligible for the Specialization. Please proceed to What’s Next if you would like to declare the Specialization.