Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction

Graduate program offered by the UNT College of Education

About
Courses

The Curriculum and Instruction doctoral program at the University of North Texas is a research-intensive program that enables you to:

Gain an integrative perspective on education
Receive a firm grounding in educational theory, pedagogical practice and research methodology
Engage in educational efforts focused on social justice and equity
Develop research agendas to pursue your professional career
Prepare to be a leader in research and pedagogy

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction prepares graduates for careers as scholars, researchers or teacher educators in higher education or to hold research-oriented leadership positions.

Concentrations are available in Curriculum Studies, Early Childhood Studies or Language and Literacy Studies.

Our faculty members have a wide range of interests in their specialization areas. Their research interests span from curriculum integration to technology to language and literacy issues, all across a diverse range of grade levels and populations.

Outstanding student support

UNT provides a wide variety of services exclusively to graduate students. The Graduate Student Writing Support office can help you with writing, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research offers assistance with statistical research.

The Toulouse Graduate School offers several professional development workshops, including a Dissertation Boot Camp. Many of the workshops are available online for your convenience.

Concentration Areas

Curriculum Studies focuses on the dynamic, historical and cultural aspects of the educational experience. Special attention goes to the connections between theory and practice, the role of politics and policies relevant to school curricula, contrasting approaches to curriculum evaluation and reconceptualization, and critical analysis of curricular paradigms. The program emphasizes understanding curriculum, learning and teaching in various facets.

Early Childhood Studies develops critical educational leaders, researchers, and facilitators of social change for children, their families and their teachers and caregivers. Research and scholarship are created to increase equity, social justice and life or education opportunities for those who are younger. Graduates prepare for diverse teaching, research and administrative responsibilities.

Language and Literacy Studies focuses on theories, practices and policies associated with language and literacy in preparing scholars, researchers and educational leaders. The program improves educational practice through generating new knowledge and service to education institutions, governmental agencies and practitioners at all levels of education. Committed to theory-driven research that informs effective practice, faculty members acknowledge the complex role of language and culture in literacy as they mentor literacy leaders.

Curriculum and instruction core courses, 12 hours

Required of all students.

Research courses, 15 hours

The required research courses (9 hours) provide a foundation in research approaches that are considered quantitative and those considered qualitative.

EDCI 6280 - Qualitative Research in Education

EPSY 6280 - Qualitative Research in Education

Two additional courses

Within the research area, the student experiences some flexibility and has some choice for the additional two courses (6 hours) that are most relevant to the research that he or she intends to do.

Concentration courses, 18 hours

In each concentration area there are four mandatory courses (12 hours) in that concentration plus two courses (6 hours) relevant to the student’s interests and goals that will be selected by the student and advisor.

Note

Additional course work may be required of students who do not have a master’s degree in the relevant concentration.

Elective, 6 hours

For the electives included in the course plan, students are encouraged to take courses that complement their program. Electives may come from other departments and colleges outside teacher education and administration.

Dissertation, 9 hours

After advancing to candidacy, students are required to take a total of 9 semester credit hours for the dissertation, EDUC 6950.

Transfer courses

With consent of the advisor, relevant transfer courses can be included in the degree plan in accordance with the policy of the UNT Graduate School.

Faculty

Mila Rosa Librea Carden

Mila Rosa Librea Carden

Assistant Professor

Teacher Education and Administration
Ph.D., 2018, Kent State University, Ohio

Matthews Hall 218-H

940-565-2920

milarosa.carden@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Dr. Mila Rosa Librea-Carden is originally from the Philippines and first came to the U.S. in 2013 as a fellow of Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching for International Teachers. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Science Education, from Kent State University. She also holds a master’s degree in biology from Ateneo De Manila University, Philippines. She taught high school biology at the Ateneo de Manila High School and served as director of graduate studies at the Far Eastern University in the Philippines. Before coming to UNT, she was a faculty associate and a science academic professional at Arizona State University. Her teaching and research agendas are interconnected, being grounded in strength-based teaching and focused on the learning and teaching of the nature of science. She is committed to pursuing scholarship that supports accessible and equitable science learning for diverse populations including students with special educational needs.

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Colleen M. Eddy

Colleen M. Eddy

Associate Professor

Teacher Education and Administration
Ed.D., Baylor University

Matthews Hall 204-G

940-565-2841

colleen.eddy@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Colleen McLean Eddy, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration for mathematics education and curriculum & instruction. Her degrees include Ed.D. from Baylor University, M.Ed. from Tarleton State University and B.S. from University of Texas at Austin. Her scholarship focuses on herself as a mathematics teacher educator, mathematics teacher educators, preservice teachers, and practicing teachers that incorporates the rehumanizing of mathematics (Gutiérrez, 2013,2018) and equitable pathways in STEM education. Lesson study is one of the professional development tools that has transcended her research and grants. Her research has been supported by grants totaling over $5 million, including the NSF Robert Noyce Scholarship Grant for which she was the Principal Investigator.

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Ricardo González-Carriedo

Ricardo González-Carriedo

Associate Professor

Teacher Education and Administration
Ph.D., 2012, Arizona State University

Matthews Hall 218-T

940-565-2514

Ricardo.Gonzalez@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Ricardo González-Carriedo’s research interests include bilingual teacher preparation, the internationalization of teacher education programs, literacy development among second language learners, and the representation of Latino students in the media. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of León in Spain and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University. Prior to his service at UNT, he worked at the University of Paris, France, for two years and was a secondary teacher in North Carolina and Arizona for 11 years.

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Daniel G. Krutka

Daniel G. Krutka

Associate Professor of Social Studies Education

he/him/his

Teacher Education and Administration
Ph.D., 2012, University of Oklahoma

Matthews Hall 206-Q

940-565-3272

Dan.Krutka@unt.edu

Visions of Education Podcast

Faculty Profile

Daniel G. Krutka, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Social Studies Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration. A former high school social studies teacher in Oklahoma City, his research interests concern intersections of technology, education, and democracy. Dr. Krutka has authored over 75 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in journals such as Harvard Educational Review, Computers & Education, Theory & Research in Social Education, and Teaching & Teacher Education among others. He was the lead editor of the 2018 book, "Keywords in the Social Studies: Concepts and Conversations" published in the Counterpoints: Studies in Criticality series by Peter Lang. He was awarded the 2016 Early Career Award by the Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning special interest group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the 2017 Outstanding Research Paper Award from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the 2021 McJulien Scholar Award from International Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and the 2023 National Technology Leadership Initiative (NTLI) Fellowship Award from the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). He is past chair of the Social Studies Research SIG of AERA and a past board member for the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). He also hosts the Visions of Education podcast (VisionsOfEd.com) and founded the Civics of Technology project (CivicsOfTechnology.org). He earned his doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.

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Queshonda Kudaisi

Queshonda Kudaisi

Assistant Professor

Teacher Education and Administration
Ph.D., 2021, University of South Florida

Matthews Hall 218-G

940-565-2920

queshonda.kudaisi@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Queshonda Kudaisi joined the University of North Texas in the Fall of 2022 as an assistant professor of mathematics education in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration. Her degrees include a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida, an M.A.T from the University of South Florida and a B.S. from Southeastern University. Her research is composed of two strands of inquiry. The first strand focuses on social justice in mathematics education with particular attention is given to mathematics teacher educators', mathematics teachers', and mathematics teacher candidates’ development of the knowledge needed to teach mathematics for social justice. Her research interest in social justice mathematics stem from her experiences in title one schools as a mathematics teacher and an instructional mathematics coach. Dr. Kudaisi’s second strand of inquiry focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning experiences that take place in informal learning environments such as after school and summer programs. Her research interest in informal STEM learning environments originated from her experience participating in after school STEM programs as a student and as an educational non-profit founder and director. Her research methods include the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. Dr. Kudaisi’s 8 years’ experience within K-12 contexts include work in both private and public schools, work as a mathematics teacher, work as an instructional mathematics coach, and work as an education consultant. Dr. Kudaisi has presented at both state and national mathematics conferences and has served on the board of directors for several professional mathematics organizations.

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Chris Long

Chris Long

Assistant Professor

Teacher Education and Administration
Ph.D., Curtin University (Australia)

Matthews Hall 218-J

940-565-2939

Chris.Long@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Christopher Long is an Assistant Professor of K-12 Science Education at the University of North Texas.

Dr. Long earned his Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M - Commerce, a Master of Arts in Teaching in Science Education from the University of Texas – Dallas, and a Ph.D. in Science Education from Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia.

Dr. Long’s teaching experience includes 15 years of teaching middle-school science in the public schools and six years of teacher preparation at the collegiate level. Most of his teaching experience has been in diverse, Title I schools.

Dr. Long’s research is focused on studying learning environments and attitudes associated with learning and teaching of science, pre-service teachers’ conceptual understanding of science, and science teacher preparation. Dr. Long serves as an associate editor for the Electronic Journal of Research in Mathematics and Science Education as well as a reviewer for several other science education journals.

In his spare time, Dr. Long is an avid sports fan who can often be found cheering on the A&M-Commerce Lions and UNT Mean Green athletics. He also volunteers with a local non-profit that provides social learning opportunities for young adults with autism.

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