Ph.D.

in Early Childhood
Education & Care
Department of Curriculum &
Instruction
College of Education & Human
Development
 Need for the Program
Early education recognized as essential
to child wellbeing and preventing the
achievement gap
Lack the higher education & leadership
infrastructure to deliver on the promise
Shortages of early childhood education PhDs
Too few early education doctoral programs
Growing demand for early education faculty
and researchers
Filling a critical gap
 Faculty Expertise
$1.5 million Race to the Top Early Learning
Challenge grant to develop infrastructure
for advanced study
Over $4 million external funding in the last
5 yrs
Grown EECIS BA Program from 15 to over
200 students in last 5 yrs
Highly productive faculty
Ph.D. program builds on faculty expertise
ECEC Graduate Group
 Program Development
Purpose: to produce future leaders who are
prepared to transform opportunities and
outcomes for young children through skilled
research, policy development, and innovative
practices.

1. Problem-centered and solution-focused

learning
2. Transdisciplinary competence
3. Urban/global/inclusive engagement
 Graduates will be prepared
to:
Identify early childhood-related problems and successes
that are most important to study systematically
Conduct research in a spirit of collaborative inquiry
Conduct rigorous research that informs early childhood
policies and practices
Design evidence-based interventions that are likely to
support early childhood development and family well-being
Apply research methodologies well-suited to the problems
being investigated
Take into account cultural, linguistic, social, and ability
diversity
Be a highly effective faculty member or other early
childhood leader
 Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Area # of required # of credits

courses required
Core ECEC 5 15
Courses
Research Methods 6 18
Concentration 3 9
Courses
Teaching Seminar 1 3
Doctoral Seminars 2 6
Research Team 2 (1.5 credits each) 3
Dissertation 9
Total 19 courses 63 credits
 Four Transdisciplinary
Concentrations

1. Learning and Teaching in the First Five

Years
2. Leadership, Policy, and Finance in ECEC
3. Urban, Multilingual, and Global Contexts
for Early Care and Education
4. Individualized
 Resources
Expenses include:
5 new faculty, shared across BA, M.Ed,
Post Masters, and proposed PhD programs
1 administrative staff
graduate assistantships
other expenses
Program fully supported by growth in
tuition/fees from EECIS Undergraduate
Program
Questions?
 Enrollment Projections
# of # of # of # of
Students Students Students Students
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

New Full Time 5 5 5 5

Continuing Full 0 5 10 15
Time
New Part Time

Continuing Part
Time

10 15 20
Totals
 Major Required (Core) Courses (Total # of courses required all courses listed below are required)
Course Number Course Title Credit Hours

ECHD 701 Early Education and Care Policy 3

ECHD 702 Advanced Child Development 3

ECHD 703 Translating Research Into Practice 3

ECHD 704 Leadership and Change in Early Education and Care 3

ECHD 705 The Science of Early Learning 3

ECHD 706 Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Early Childhood Education and Care 3

ECHD 707 Teaching ECEC in Higher Education 3

ECHD 708 Research Team Seminar (semester 1) 1.5

ECHD 708 Research Team Seminar (semester 2) 1.5

ECHD 709 Early Childhood Education and Care Doctoral Seminar I 3

ECHD 710 Early Childhood Education and Care Doctoral Seminar II 3

ECHD 899 Dissertation Research (variable credit) 9

SubTotal # Core Credits Required 39

ResearchMethodsRequiredCoursesoutsideofCurriculum&InstructionDepartment(ChooseonefromQuantitativeMethodsListand
onefromQualitativeMethodsList(Totalcoursesrequired=2)(attach list of choices if needed)

Quantitative Choices

EDLRS 741 OR Research Methods in Educational Leadership II 3

CSP 708 OR Intermediate Statistics 3

HIGHED 751 Research methods in higher education: Quantitative analysis 3

Qualitative Choices

EDLRS 740 OR Research Methods in Educational Leadership I 3

PPOL-G609L OR Qualitative Methods and Field Research 3

HIGHED 752 Research methods in higher education: Qualitative analysis 3

SubTotal # Research Methods Required Choice Credits Required 6


ResearchElectiveCourseChoices(Totalcoursesrequired=3)(Choose 3)

EDLRS 743 Measurement and Instrument Design 3

EDLRS (under Program Evaluation 3
approval)
CSP 708 Intermediate Statistics 3
PSYCH 770 Advanced Statistics 3
SOCIOL L609 Qualitative Methods and Field Research 3
EDLRS 745 Ethnography in Education Research 3
SOCIOL 655 Evaluation Research 3
SOCIOL 660 Survey Methodology 3
PPOL-G 745 Advanced Quantitative Methods 3
APLING 704 Advanced Discourse Analysis in Education 3
APLING 705 Advanced Ethnography and Language Policy 3
SubTotal # Research Elective Credits Required 9

SubTotal # Concentration Elective Credits Required (see course 9

list below by concentration)

Prerequisite,ConcentrationorOtherRequirements:Foreachofthethreedefinedconcentrations,
studentschoose3coursesfromthechoiceslistedfortheirconcentration,allofferedfromother
departments.Fortheindividuallydesignedconcentration,studentswoulddevelopaplanforthose
threecourseswiththeiradvisor.
CREDIT HOURS: 9
Urban, Multilingual, And
Learning and Teaching in Leadership, Policy, and
Global Contexts For
the First Five Years Finance in ECEC
ECEC