Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Mathematics Education (Ed.D.) - Online Program

CIP Code

13.0301.00

Overview

The Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction is designed to prepare individuals with expertise to formulate and lead educational programs and organizations in higher education and corresponding entities. In addition, the program will enable candidates to teach in colleges and universities. Graduates will be able to:

  • Lead and administer curriculum programs with a high degree of competence;
  • Supervise professionals and paraprofessionals in a variety of educational settings;
  • Using multiple assessment methodologies;
  • Develop, apply and evaluate assessments, curricular materials, and scientifically research based instructional methods,
  • Synthesize in-depth knowledge of major theories, philosophies, and current issues in curriculum;
  • Design, conduct, assess and evaluate qualitative and quantitative research studies in Curriculum and Instruction and in specialization areas; and
  • Analyze knowledge demonstrated by original research and scholarly contributions to the field of Curriculum and Instruction through publication and presentation of research findings at the local, state, regional, national and/or international levels.

Students must complete 15 hours in the Mathematics Education specialization.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the doctoral program in curriculum and instruction, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:

  1. Earned master’s degree from a regionally accredited United States institution or a recognized international equivalent with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 on all graduate work
  2. Three professional letters of recommendation from individuals with first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s professional qualities and scholarly potential with reference forms
  3. Documentation of 3 years of experience in education or equivalent experiences in relevant professional fields
  4. Personal statement describing goals, experiences, scholarly accomplishments, reasons for obtaining this degree, and possible research questions or topics of interest
  5. Resume

Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.

Final admission to the doctoral program will be made by a selection committee comprised of Curriculum and Instruction faculty members.

In addition to all coursework requirements, students must successfully pass the comprehensive exam before beginning dissertation hours. Once this exam is passed, students will write and defend their dissertation proposal before beginning dissertation research. At the conclusion of the dissertation process, students must successfully complete an oral dissertation defense.

Program Requirements

Required Courses - 30 hours

Core Courses - 21 Hours

CourseCourse Name
EDCI 8300Traditions of Inquiry
EDCI 8320Curriculum Inquiry
EDCI 8321Adult Learning Strategies
EDCI 8323Contemporary Research in Teaching and Teacher Education
EDCI 8334Advanced Practical Inquiry in the Assessment Cycle
EDFR 8322Advanced Historical and Sociocultural Inquiry in Education
EPSY 8318Advanced Human Development and Cognition

Research Courses - 12 Hours

CourseCourse Name
EDFR 8300Research Methods and Design
EDFR 8301Qualitative Research
EDFR 8302Quantitative Research
EDFR 8310Applied Qualitative Research Design
Or
EDFR 8311Applied Quantitative Research Design

Students take either EDFR 8310 OR EDFR 8311. EDFR 8310 has prerequisites of EDFR 8300 and 8301. EDFR 8311 has prerequisites of EDFR 8300 and 8302. Students must take either EDFR 8310 or EDFR 8311 within the first forty-five hours of the program.

Written Comprehensive Exam

Students must successfully pass the comprehensive exam before beginning dissertation hours. Once this exam is passed, students will write and defend their dissertation proposal before beginning dissertation research.

Specialization Courses - 15 Hours

CourseCourse Name
EDCI 8356Teaching and Learning Algebraic Concepts
EDCI 8360Teaching and Learning Space, Dimension and Measurement Concepts
EDCI 8361Theories of Learning and Teaching Mathematics.
EDCI 8362Assessing Cognitive, Conceptual and Fluency Structures Related to Learning and Teach Mathematics.
EDCI 8364Teaching and Learning Data Analysis and Probability

Prescribed Electives - 9 Hours

Choose one research course from the following:

CourseCourse Name
EDCI 8325Mentoring and Professional Development
EDCI 8341Advance Science Teaching Methods
EDCI 8355Latin American Narrative Inquiry
EDFR 8303Advanced Qualitative Research
EDFR 8304Advanced Quantitative Research
EDFR 8305Program Evaluation
EDFR 8307Selected Topics in Research
EDFR 8308Mixed Methods Research in Education
EDRE 8300Introduction to Research Methods
EDRE 8301Qualitative Research
EDRE 8302Quantitative Research
EDRE 8303Advanced Qualitative Research
EDRE 8304Advanced Quantitative Research
EDRE 8306Multivariate Analysis in Educational Research

Other 8000 level research courses may be taken with program coordinator approval.

Choose two courses from the following:

Any 8000 or 9000 level courses in any College or School at UTRGV.

Dissertation - 9 Hours

CourseCourse Name
EDCI 8380Dissertation
Or
EDCI 8380Dissertation
And
EDCI 8690Dissertation

Students must complete 9 hours of dissertation. This can be completed by takin EDCI 8380 three times or by taking EDCI 8380 and EDCI 8690. Students must continue to enroll in EDCI 8380 or EDCI 8690 until they have successfully completed all requirements for the dissertation.

Total Credit Hours: 66