TLLP Ph.D. Curriculum

The Ph.D. program is designed to offer students both the rigorous methodological preparation required to undertake educational inquiry at the highest levels and the flexibility for students to work with their Program of Study Committees (POSCs) to pursue coursework and experiences that support the students’ individual research interests and professional paths. The TLLP Ph.D. requires a minimum of 72 credits.

School-Level Requirements

School of Education requirements for students starting summer 2018 or later*

All Ph.D. students in the SOE are required to take the following three courses:

  • ResEv 601: Foundations of Educational Inquiry
  • ResEv 603: Foundations of Qualitative Inquiry in Education
  • ResEv 604X: Advanced Qualitative Inquiry in Education

All Ph.D. students must also take statistics up through multiple regression. The SOE strongly prefers that students take the following courses, which are SOE educational statistics classes that will ground students in educational research and design.

  • ResEv 552: Basic Educational Statistics
  • ResEv 553: Intermediate Educational Statistics

There are, however, other pathways to meet the statistics requirement, including 404 and 568 (formerly STAT 401) in the Department of Statistics. If you are entering the Ph.D. program already versed in multiple regression, please discuss with your POSC in order to determine whether the requirement has been met.

*If you started in the fall of 2017 or prior, please review the requirements in this document and meet with your advisor to ensure all School of Education Ph.D. requirements are met.

Division-Level Requirements

Division requirements for students starting summer 2018 or later*

All students must take the following: 

  • HPC / EDUC 582: History of Public Schooling in the United States
    (EDUC 583: Inequality & Schooling in the U.S. is used as an equivalent course)
  • ELPS 630: Education Policy and Analysis
  • One of the following:
    • CI / EDUC 533: Theories of Learning
    • CI / EDUC 536X: Sociocultural Learning Theory
    • CI / EDUC 612: Socio-psychological Foundations of Educational Technology 

Note 1: Students may transfer in courses that substitute for the TLLP division-level Ph.D. course requirements if the POSC determines that the student has already taken an equivalent graduate course at another institution or ISU. 

Note 2: CI / EDUC 533, CI / EDUC 536, and CI / EDUC 612 all meet the core requirement for a course in theories of learning. The POSC will determine which course a student must take to meet the requirement.

*If you started in the fall of 2017 or prior, you have no division-level requirements.

Area of Emphasis Level Requirements

In addition to school-level and division-level requirements, some areas of emphasis (e.g. educational technology) also have area-specific requirements. Please discuss area of emphasis level requirements with your major professor.

Program of Study Committee Requirements

All coursework in addition to the School of Education, division, and area of emphasis requirements will be determined in consultation with the student’s Program of Study Committee. It is strongly recommended that students take courses outside the School of Education.

Need More Information?

School of Education

1620 Lagomarcino Hall
901 Stange Road
Ames, Iowa 50011-1041

515-294-9531

schoolofed@iastate.edu