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College of Applied Human Sciences: School of Education

Educational Theory and Practice, PhD

The PhD in Educational Theory and Practice meets the interests and professional needs of future scholars in the areas of teaching and learning (across various subjects, in- and out-of-school contexts and ages/grades); teacher education and development (across various subjects and professional levels); and social, cultural and critical studies in education.

This is a primarily full-time, 60-credit, in-person program (part-time study options available).

Your Degree Plan The WVU Difference Learn by Doing Careers and Outcomes Meet Your Community Admission Requirements Take the Next Steps

Your Degree Plan

Intro

Aerial view of Martin and Woodburn Halls

The program serves as a source of preparation for students toward careers as higher education faculty, educational researchers, policy analysts, and those who conduct work in a range of educational agencies and organizations.

The program includes the following course components:

  • Core program coursework focused on theoretical, philosophical and sociological foundations of education research and practice.
  • A research core that provides the methodological competencies to produce original research as well as the ability to critically evaluate published scholarship.
  • Program electives that align with students’ interests and deepen their focus in core areas of educational research and practice.
  • Mentored research and teaching experiences that promote students’ pedagogical and empirical skills.

Upon completion of the PhD in Educational Theory and Practice, graduates will be prepared to:

  • Understand and interpret scholarship on theory, policy and practice in education as the basis for growth over a professional career.
  • Critically evaluate scholarship, policy and practice in order to promote equity, access and social justice in educational settings.
  • Plan for, conduct and report on original research that advances the field of education.
  • Demonstrate skills as educators—including designing, implementing, evaluating and revising educational experiences.

Take advantage of special options related to this major:

  • Honors

    Expand your curiosity — and enhance your curriculum — through the WVU Honors College. Two programs are offered: Honors Foundations for first- and second-year students and Honors EXCEL for third- and fourth-year students.

    Explore Honors

The WVU Difference

What sets this program apart from its competitors?

  • We offer several graduate assistantships to competitive applicants to support their doctoral work. Assurance of funding is provided to selected applicants for the first two years of study, with opportunities for continuation of funding.
  • The EDTP program utilizes a professional mentorship model, wherein faculty work closely with doctoral students to support their progress through key milestones, including dissemination of pedagogical and empirical work and completion of the dissertation.
  • The plan of study includes apprenticed research and teaching experiences that provide students with a breadth of perspectives and practices as they develop their pedagogical and empirical skills.

Learn by Doing

Learning happens outside the classroom. Get involved.

Students have opportunities to develop applied, authentic experiences teaching in college settings and conducting meaningful research. Through practicum and other structured learning experiences, students examine the theoretical, philosophical, historical, and critical foundations of educational research and practice.

Attending college will prepare you for many things. The Educational Theory and Practice major will give you the following skills:

The Educational Theory and Practice program will equip you with the analytical, empirical, and pedagogical skills to address practical and theoretical problems in teaching and learning, teacher education and development, and societal, cultural, and critical studies in education.

Outside of the Evansdale Crossing building.

What you learn outside of the classroom is just as important as what you learn during class. We’ll help you follow your curiosity.

Careers and Outcomes

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

Education Administrators, Postsecondary

Plan, direct or coordinate research, instructional, student administration and services and other educational activities at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges and junior and community colleges.

May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $99,940

Possible job titles include: Academic Dean, Dean, Provost, Registrar.

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Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses pertaining to education, such as counseling, curriculum, guidance, instruction, teacher education and teaching English as a second language. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Has a Bright Outlook , May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $66,930

Possible job titles include: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Education Professor, Professor.

Explore Career

Career pathways

Our graduates have obtained positions in a range of areas, including at colleges and universities, educational agencies, and research centers. Jobs obtained by recent graduates include teaching-based faculty positions, service-oriented faculty positions, and positions as research associates, postdoctoral scholars, and educational consultants.

Sample employers/job titles of graduates

  • Carlow University, Assistant Professor, Department of Education and Liberal Studies
  • UNC Charlotte, Associate Director, Undergraduate Research
  • West Virginia University, Teaching Assistant Professor, School of Math and Data Science

Meet Your Community

The Educational Theory and Practice family will inspire and support you.

  • “The community is extremely supportive of each other. There is collaboration and support among graduate students and also between graduate students and faculty. Faculty are excited to get involved in our research interests and that makes it a great community to be part of.”
    Megan Hut
  • “One of the best things about the Educational Theory and Practice program is that it is intentionally designed to be responsive to your needs and goals as both a scholar and a professional. Faculty are always willing to provide guidance, support, and encouragement toward those goals. This flexibility and responsiveness are especially important for someone like me who has continued to work full-time while in the program.”
    Eric Lemley
  • Johnna Bolyard

    Johnna Bolyard

    Professional highlights:

    • Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Human Resources and Education, WVU, 2021
    • Mathematics Teacher of the Year - College Level, West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2015
    • Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Human Resources and Education, WVU, 2010
  • Matthew Campbell

    Matthew Campbell

    Professional highlights:

    • Research emphasis on teacher education, teacher recruitment and retention, and teacher leadership
    • Principal Investigator, Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T)
    • President, West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (WVCTM), 2022-2024
    • Associate Vice President, AMTE STaR Fundraising Committee, 2023-2026
    • Editorial Panel Chair, Mathematics Teacher Educator, 2021-2022

  • Jeffrey Carver

    Professional highlights:

    • 20 years' experience in the educational field
    • Directs STEM Education Initiatives at the College of Applied Human Services
    • Research interests focus on the improvement of teaching and learning in the STEM disciplines at all levels (p-20)
  • Portrait of Allison Swan Dagen.

    Allison Swan Dagen

    Professional highlights:

    • Co-Editor, Best Practices of Literacy Leaders: Keys to School Improvement, 2020
    • Lead Writer, International Literacy Association Standards, 2017
    • WVU Provost's Academic Fellow, 2018-2021
    • WVU Assistant Provost for Graduate Academic Affairs, 2021-2023
  • Portrait of D. Jake Follmer.

    D. Jake Follmer

    Professional highlights:

    • Research interests include self- and socially-regulated learning, statistics education, first-generation student success, reading comprehension, and instructional inquiry and revision in STEM
    • CEHS Outstanding Teaching Award, 2022
    • Teaching MVP Award, 2020, WVU, Office of the Provost
    • AERA Deeper Learning Research Fellow, 2022

  • Sharon Hayes

    Professional highlights:

    • Coordinator of Action Research Faculty, 2008-2020
    • WVU National Writing Project, 2008-2011
    • Program Coordinator, 5 Year Teacher Education Program, 2020-2021
    • Program Coordinator, Elementary Math Specialist Master’s, 2021-2023
    • Licensed teacher in New Jersey: Elementary Education, Middle School
    • 10 years public school experience (K-8)
    • Former preschool teacher and childcare provider

  • Melissa Luna

    Professional highlights:

    • Journal of the Learning Sciences Reviewer of the Year, 2022-2023
    • CAHS Associate Dean for Research and Engagement, 2022-2023
    • CEHS Associate Dean for Research, 2019-2022
    • WVU CEHS Outstanding Researcher Award, 2018
    • National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2016

  • Erin McHenry-Sorber

    Professional highlights:

    • Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Applied Human Sciences, WVU, 2023
    • National Rural Education Achievement Award, 2022
    • National Rural Education Association Best Research Paper Award, 2022
    • Howard A. Dawson Best Research Paper Award, National Rural Education Association, 2019
    • Mary Catharine Buswell Award, Council for Women’s Concerns, WVU, 2019
    • Editor, The Rural Educator
  • Aimee Morewood

    Aimee Morewood

    Professional highlights:

    • Research interests include effective professional development for literacy educators, word study instruction for elementary students, systemic change through teacher leadership and emergent literacy practices
    • Certified in Elementary Education (K-12) and as a Reading Specialist (K-12)
    • Former learning support teacher
  • Sarah Selmer

    Sarah Selmer

    Professional highlights:

    • Research emphasis: responsive noticing of student mathematical thinking
    • Completed a Fulbright specialist program in Lesotho, Africa (Summer 2023)
    • Department Editor for Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12

  • Melissa Sherfinski

    Professional highlights:

    • Chair, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Early Education and Child Development Special Interest Group
    • Board Member, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education and Journal of Research in Childhood Education
    • Licensed teacher in West Virginia and Wisconsin, areas: Elementary Education, Early Childhood-PK-K Special Needs, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism
    • 6 years public school experience (K-5)
    • Former preschool teacher and childcare provider

  • Courtney Shimek

    Professional highlights:

    • Research interests: confluence between play and literacy, multimodal responses to literature, use of nonfiction in elementary classrooms and literacy teacher preparation

  • Nathan Sorber

    Professional highlights:

    • Director, School of Education West Virginia University
    • Author of multiple books on Higher Education in the United States
    • Editor, Perspectives on the History of Higher Education
  • Portrait of Sam Stack

    Sam Stack

    Professional highlights:

    • Outstanding Teacher Award, College of Human Resources and Education, 1995-1996
    • Barbara J. Howe Award for Excellent Scholarship on New Deal Homesteads, 2004
    • Outstanding Researcher Award, College of Human Resources and Education, 2004-2005
    • Laddie R. Bell Distinguished Service Award, College of Human Resources and Education, 2006-2007
    • American Educational Studies Critics Choice Book Award, 2012. Doug Simpson and Sam F. Stack Jr., Teachers, Leaders, and Schools Essays by John Dewey (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2011), 258 pages.
  • Betsy DiSalvo Osborne
    “The Educational Theory and Practice program played a crucial role in my professional development by offering graduate teaching assistantships. These opportunities not only equipped me with the necessary skills for program coordination but also provided hands-on experience in implementing effective teaching methods. Leveraging my decade of classroom experiences, the program recognized and valued my practical insights, enabling me to better prepare students for success as they embarked on their own teaching journeys.”

    • Admission Requirements

    To be eligible for admission into a graduate program at WVU an applicant must submit official, bachelor's degree transcripts from a regionally accredited institution and hold a GPA of at least 2.75. WVU operates decentralized admissions. Decentralized admissions allows each graduate program to set its own application requirements in addition to the University requirements.

    • Admission Requirements

      • A baccalaureate degree with coursework in appropriate areas related to education
      • A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.80
      • A completed graduate application
      • A curriculum vitae (CV)
      • A personal statement describing your specific goals for and interests in the program. The statement should clearly articulate the connections between our program and your interests as well as the expertise of program faculty.
      • An academic writing sample showcasing your academic interests and ability to engage in research.
      • Three (3) letters of recommendation addressing your potential as a doctoral student in education.

      Additional Application Considerations

      • Only completed applications can be reviewed. An application is considered complete when all associated materials, including letters of recommendation, are submitted and received by the program. Please ensure you’ve allotted enough time to have your application materials received before the deadline.
      • Following the application deadline, program faculty will evaluate each application based on the quality of the materials submitted, the quality of the applicant’s academic record, and the connections between students’ expressed interests and those of the faculty.
      • International applicants should also submit required materials as described in Graduate Admissions' information for international students.
      • Complete admissions information for the Educational Theory and Practice program can be found in the WVU Catalog.

      Application Deadline

      • The priority deadline for admission is December 15. Applicants interested in funding through graduate assistantships and related opportunities should ensure all application materials are received by this deadline.
      • The final deadline for admission is March 1.

      Program Contact

      If you have questions about the Educational Theory and Practice PhD program, please contact Dr. Jake Follmer, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator, at jake.follmer@mail.wvu.edu.

    • Application Deadlines

      Each graduate program sets their own terms for admission and application deadlines. Applicants can only apply for admission for the terms displayed below. Any questions regarding the application deadline should be directed to the graduate program representative.

      • Fall: March 1
      • Fall (Priority): December 15

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