Early Childhood Education

This specialization prepares you to conduct research on the care, education, and welfare of children. You also learn to design and provide programs and services that are developmentally appropriate for children of varying ability, culture, and language.

Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction

The Curriculum and Instruction Program faculty is strongly committed to the integration of theory, research, policy, and practice throughout the program. You will be exposed to multiple educational perspectives on issues of design and policy.

The program faculty mentor students in their professional development and scholarship, which are critical for positions in higher education and curriculum leadership. Full-time faculty who will come to know you personally by name, not number, teach the doctoral courses.

Students within each of the specializations – Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and TESOL – receive a thorough grounding in the leadership issues in their disciplines, research methodology, and curriculum.

Upon completion of the program you will have acquired the ability to:

• Analyze and synthesize the theoretical underpinnings of curriculum, instruction, and leadership.
• Apply the theories and concepts of curriculum to policy decisions at the local, state, national, and international levels.
• Clarify one’s ethical and theoretical perspectives and relate these to professional goals.
• Develop and implement an independent research investigation.
• Evaluate and contribute to the literature in curriculum.

When you earn your doctor of philosophy degree in curriculum and instruction, you gain a profound understanding of educational assessment, literacy, curriculum change, and policy.You are exposed to multiple perspectives on educational design and policy, allowing you to assume a leadership role in curriculum development, design, implementation, and evaluation. You could play a critical role as a college or university professor, a human resources program leader, or as a policy maker or personnel supervisor with a school district or other government agency.

The Ph.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction at Barry University provides you with a thorough grounding in leadership issues, research methodology, and curriculum. Your studies integrate theory, research, policy, and practice at every level. You learn to apply curriculum theories and concepts to policy decisions at the local, state, national, and international levels. You develop and implement an independent research investigation and learn how to evaluate and contribute to the literature in curriculum and teacher education.

At Barry your classes are small, so you receive personal attention from distinguished faculty who take a keen interest in your professional development. Your classes meet one evening a week to accommodate your needs as a working professional. If you enroll in two classes per semester while continuing to work full-time, you can complete your Ph.D. coursework in three to four years.