Important Information for
Prospective Doctoral Students

FAQs for the TED Ph.D. Program

What is a PhD? How does it differ from an EdD? 

A PhD prepares graduate students for teaching and/or research positions in education.  A PhD program focuses heavily on research methodology. An EdD is a professional degree designed for practitioners pursuing educational leadership roles. 

What job opportunities are available with a PhD in Teacher Education?

A person who earns a PhD in education often chooses to work at a college or university preparing undergraduate students for a career in teaching as well as teaching and collaborating on research with graduate students. However, someone with a PhD is not harnessed to academia.  They may choose to be a consultant in their field of expertise, a researcher in a government agency or organization, or take on larger leadership positions in schools and university administration. 

What is the timeline for completing a program?

Completion of the program depends on many factors, such as course load per semester. On average, students complete the program in 4-6 years.

What classes are involved? 

We have shared a general plan of study below that lays out the required courses for the PhD in Teacher Education.

Total hours: 60+

Core courses:

• TED 749: Disciplined Inquiry in Teacher Education

• TED 646: Introduction to Equity Education or TED 765: Research in Equity Education

• TED 746: Seminar: Research in Teaching

• TED 747: Doctoral Seminar in Learning and Cognition

Additional courses:

• TED 730: Qualitative Methods in Curriculum and Instruction

• TED 738: Mixed Methods Research Design in Curriculum and Instruction

• TED 775: Directed Doctoral Research

• ERM 680: Intermediate Statistical Methods in Education

• ERM 681: Design and Analysis of Educational Experiments

• Additional courses to satisfy 21-hour research requirement and 15 hours in area of concentration

• 12 - 24 hours of dissertation

When are classes offered?  Are there opportunities for Independent Studies?

Classes are typically offered F2F in the evening from 5:00-7:50. Some classes are offered online and typically take a hybrid approach of asynchronous and synchronous options. There are opportunities for independent studies as needed.

How does attending full-time differ from part-time?  What are the implications of working full-time as well as taking classes? 

When a student chooses to attend our PhD program full-time, they are often willing to take on the role of a Graduate Research or Teaching Assistant.  Many of our faculty are Principal Investigators on research projects and look for full-time PhD students to assist in managing project details.  Work schedules and responsibilities vary depending on the project and the faculty will clarify the role before the position begins. The benefits include experiences and practice with meaningful projects as well as compensation. In addition, PhD students may teach undergraduate courses in education for the program or supervise undergraduates in the field. This provides experience and practice as well as compensation.  Whether you are a Graduate Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant, it will require that you are available during regular office hours. Our assistants are a vital part of our success as a teacher education program. 

If one decides to attend part-time and maintain their regular work schedule, it may take longer to complete the degree. It may also limit the extent to which they can work on authentic projects with our faculty. 

What Graduate Assistantships (GAs) are available? 

• • There are multiple avenues of support available for TEHE doctoral students who wish to pursue the degree with a graduate assistantship. One option is a departmental assistantship which typically involves a combination of working with a faculty member on research activities and teaching undergraduate teacher preparation courses. These assistantships are 20 hours a week commitments and include a tuition waiver, a graduate school health insurance credit, and range from $14,000 - $10,000 for the academic year. Departmental assistantships are appropriate for students who wish to develop their skills as a teacher educator and as a researcher and wish to pursue the degree on a full time status..

  • A second option is an assistantship through the SOE’s Institute for Partnerships in Education (IPiE) which involves tutoring K-12 students in Guilford County Schools. These assistantships are 20 hours a week commitments and include tuition, fees, health insurance, and range from $18,000 to $20,000 for the academic year. IPiE assistantships are appropriate for students who have expertise in supporting K-12 student learning and wish to pursue the degree on a full time status.

  • A third option are grant-funded research assistantships. These opportunities vary from year to year and are provided by faculty members who have externally funded projects to students whose interest is in gaining research experience in a particular field of study. These assistantships are also 20 hours a week commitments and include tuition, fees, health insurance, and range from $18,000 to $20,000 for the academic year and additional$2,000 - $4,000 for summer support. Grant-funded research assistantships are appropriate for students who wish to focus on developing their skills as an educational researcher.

  • All TEHE doctoral students can also apply for one of two options for summer assistantships. One option is a TEHE summer assistantship which typically involves a specified project with a sponsoring faculty member. These awards are typically $2000. Another option is an IPiE Summer Assistantship which involves tutoring K-12 students attending summer school sponsored by Guilford County Schools. These assistantships are 20 hours a week commitments for 6 weeks during the summer and include summer school tuition, fees, and range from $3,000 to $3,500 for the summer.

  • Additional details of the similarities and differences among these options can be found here.

Who is on the faculty and what are their areas of research?

• • Broadly, our faculty’s areas of scholarship encompass TESOL, Math, Literacy, Social Studies, Science, Learning Sciences, and Elementary Education. Here is a list of the Teacher Education faculty by disciplines. More detailed information about their research interests can be found here: https://soe.uncg.edu/tehe/

    • TESOL- Ye He, Jamie Schissel, Melody Zoch

    • Math- Vicki Jacobs (Yopp Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Education), Holt Wilson, Nick Kochmanski, Kerri Richardson

    • Literacy- Gay Ivey (Moran Distinguished Professor of Literacy), Amy Vetter, Melody Zoch, Sam Miller, Colleen Fairbanks

    • Social Studies- Wayne Journell, Ryan Hughes

    • Science- Edna Tan (Hooks Distinguished Professor of STEM Education), Sara Heredia

    • Learning Science- Dale Shunk, Bev Faircloth

    • Elementary Education- Jen Mangrum, Scott Howerton

What are the requirements for admission?  When is the application deadline?

Admission requirements include: personal statement, transcript, resume, GRE scores, and recommendation letters.

• • For International Students- English language proficiency scores 

  • Non-U.S. transcript - our graduate school requires course-by-course evaluation (from NACES services)

Application deadlines:  Fall - December 1; Spring - April 1.

For comprehensive information on admission requirements, see Graduate Admission Guide.

What do we look for when reviewing applications?

• • When we review applications, we consider all of the required components holistically: GRE scores, letters of recommendation, the personal statement, and transcripts.

  • The personal statement is especially important because it helps us see if the applicant is a good fit for our program. In particular, we like to learn about why the applicant is interested in earning a PhD, why here at UNCG, and what their research interests are. This description of research interests is really important because 1) we can see if we have the faculty who can help support the area of research, so being as specific as possible is helpful (e.g., say more than just, “I am interested in math.”). Even if you don’t know 100% what you would like to research, and this can of course change over time once admitted to the program, it is good for us to hear about what you have in mind and 2) we like to know that our students come to the program interested in pursuing research. Occasionally we have applicants who are more interested in becoming better teachers. While earning a PhD will in many ways make you a better teacher, the program is largely geared at supporting research activity.

  • Another tip that can be important for applying is making contact with faculty before you apply. All of the faculty meet together to discuss each application. If we have heard from you ahead of time and know your application is coming, that can be helpful for this meeting.