DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Letter to prospective doctoral students

Program Summary

Study toward the doctoral degree in education at Washington University is designed to deepen a student's analytic understanding of education and to develop competence in research and teaching. The goal of the Ph.D. program is to prepare students to join the community of scholars who contribute to our understanding of education. Successful applicants will make clear the nature of their commitment to an academic career in their research statement.

In addition to regular courses and research seminars, the program includes a doctoral seminar, and opportunities for teaching and public presentations of research. Required and elective courses provide the student with a foundation of scholarship in education and prepare the student for the qualifying examination and the Ph.D. dissertation.

Students working toward a Ph.D. in education are expected to develop a broad understanding of education as a complex activity and as a field of study. Students are also expected to acquire theoretical and empirical expertise in an area of concentration. Finally, students are expected to acquire methodological competence in empirical inquiry.

Application and Admission

Decisions regarding admission to the doctoral program are made once a year by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in consultation with the Doctoral Admissions Committee of the Department of Education (comprised of Department's tenured and tenure track faculty). All students are admitted for the fall semester. In order to be considered for admission, an applicant must submit a complete dossier to Washington University no later than January 1.

The completed dossier must include the following information.

Application form
Please attend to all details. The application also calls for a personal statement. Your statement should include an account of what your goals are for pursuing a Ph.D. in education at Washington University. This statement serves to give us a sense of who you are, what you hope to accomplish in your course of study, and why you think the Department of Education can help you reach your goals. When reading these statements we look especially for a commitment to research and inquiry. The personal statement should be 1 to 2 pages in length.

Three letters of recommendation
Letters should be solicited from carefully chosen individuals who can comment knowledgeably on your academic ability, scholarly potential, and, if relevant, past performance as an educator.

Transcripts
All previous work at colleges or universities.

Graduate Record Examination or the Miller Analogies Test
Scores may be from a test taken up to five years prior to the application date.

Writing sample
A paper you have written that reflects your ability to develop one or more important ideas. The paper may be written specifically for your admissions dossier or it may have been written for another purpose.

Interview
An interview (in person or by telephone) is required with one or more members of the members of the Doctoral Admissions Committee (comprised of tenured and tenure track members of the Department's faculty).

We strongly encourage you to apply on-line with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Supporting materials such as letters of recommendation and transcripts should be mailed to our campus address. However, if you prefer to apply by mail, request an application from Natalia Kolk.