Introduction

The faculty and staff of the College of Education (COE) welcome your interest in pursuing a Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction. Doctoral studies allow you to apply the breadth of knowledge acquired in your bachelor’s and master’s education and subsequent professional experiences to develop depth in a specialized area of study.

Acquiring a doctoral degree is the highest level of education one can pursue. As such, it should be undertaken with the expectation of rigorous study above and beyond required coursework and a commitment to scholarship. The goal of this program is for graduates to become scholars and leaders regardless of context. By completion of their degree, students are expected to have developed competency in each of the following areas:

• research design
• quantitative and qualitative methods, research, and data analysis
• models and methods of program evaluation
• development of research for publication and presentation
• grant proposals and sources of funding
• ethical and culturally relevant strategies for conducting research

A student enrolls in an approved plan of study, which includes coursework in curriculum and instruction, research methodologies, and an approved cognate area (26 credit hours in the Ed.D. C&I program). A cognate area is an area of specialty related to the student’s interests and desired future research and professional work.

• Bilingual education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Early Childhood & Special Education
• Educational Leadership
• Educational Technology^[1]
• Kinesiology
• Literacy
• Program Evaluation
• Science Education
• Mathematics Education
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Education
• Teacher Education and Development
• Unique cognate designed with advisor and program coordinator

The program culminates with a dissertation in which the student conducts a guided investigation of a significant educational issue.

This handbook serves as a guide for prospective, entering, and continuing Ed.D. candidates in the College of Education. The information that follows reflects the current policies of the College of Education and Boise State Graduate College and are subject to change.

If you’re looking for program admissions and cost information, please see our the page on Ed.D. Admissions.