General Degree Information
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is a research degree and is granted on evidence of general proficiency, distinctive attainment in a special field, and particularly on ability for independent investigation as demonstrated in a dissertation presenting original research with a high degree of literary skill.
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree is offered for students who desire advanced professional training and academic preparation for the highest levels of educational practice.
Funding Opportunities: Prospective doctoral students are encouraged to learn more about various sources of financial support.
Transfer of Credit: All courses transferred in to any doctoral program must directly relate to the degree being sought. Acceptance of transfer of credit requires approval of the student’s supervisory committee and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Courses and Credits: No courses numbered 1000-2999 may be used as any part of the graduate degree requirements. Courses numbers 3000-4999 MAY be used for MINOR credit when taken as part of an approved graduate program. A minor cannot be in the same department as a student’s major. Full-time students not on a graduate assistantship must register for a minimum of 12 credits. The maximum credits is 18 but is not recommended.
Research Requirements: All doctoral students in the College of Education must meet the College Research Requirements. Students admitted after fall 2004 must comply with these College of Education minimal research requirements.
Time Limits: All work must be completed within five calendar years after the qualifying examination or that examination must be repeated.
Program Areas
The School of Teaching & Learning offers the Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees in Curriculum and Instruction with specializations in the following areas:
Admission Information for Doctoral Degrees (Ph.D. or Ed.D.)
General Requirements
Admission standards are set by the Graduate School of the University of Florida, the College of Education, the School of Teaching & Learning, and the program area to which you are applying. This web page provides you with the Graduate School, College of Education, and School of Teaching & Learning minimums. You need to carefully check your program area web page to see the specific admission requirements for that area.
- GPA: A minimum grade point average of 3.0 for all upper-division (last 60 credits) undergraduate work and previous graduate work
- Recommendations: Three letters of recommendation from university faculty
- Statement of Purpose: Explain why this degree would enable you to meet your career goals and how this specific doctoral program in the School of Teaching & Learning at UF enables you to best reach these goals.
Every program area admissions review committee evaluates applicants’ folders holistically. Each piece of data included in your admissions folder is considered one data point and we carefully look at all of the evidence before making an admissions decision.
Again, please note that the requirements here are the minimal requirements. You should explore your program area for additional admission requirements for the doctoral degree (Ed.D. or Ph.D.).
Admission Procedure
- Apply Online to the University of Florida Graduate School and pay the application fee. When you are instructed to enter your doctoral program, all of the doctoral programs in the School of Teaching & Learning are in the Curriculum and Instruction category. As part of the online application, you also are required to provide a statement of purpose. You can copy and paste up to two pages of a single-spaced document into this space. Your statement of purpose should address the following areas:
- Why do you want a doctoral degree
- How this degree will help you meet your professional goals
- What is your research interest
- How do you see this research interest meshing with the School of Teaching & Learning
It is also suggested that you provide:
- A faculty member you have interacted with who could serve as your initial mentor
- Your interest in research as a career goal (if that is what you want to do)
- Pre-doctoral research or employment experience that supports your goals
The Graduate School also requires three letters of recommendation from professors who know the applicant as a student and can evaluate academic abilities and potential for success in a graduate program. The online application process allows you to enter in the names and email addresses of 3 people. This will trigger an electronic system to send electronic forms to these individuals. All the person providing your recommendation has to do is complete the form and hit the submit button.
- Submit all transcripts from institutions of higher education to the UF Office of Admissions (P.O.Box 114000, 201 Criser Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-4000, USA). These must be official copies from the institutions of higher education. If the original transcripts are not in English, you also need to send an English translation.
- For international students: You may submit either TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB scores. Here are the minimum scores considered for admissions: IELTS: 6, MELAB: 77, TOEFL (computer):213, TOEFL (Internet): 80, and TOEFL (paper-based): 550.
- Submit an example of your academic writing. This could be several chapters from your master’s thesis or several of your scholarly papers.
- Submit a current curriculum vitae or resume.
- Submit an application for a Doctoral Fellowship or STL Assistantship.
- Explore financial aid options and apply for any appropriate for your situation.
- Applicants to the Ph.D. program in Teachers, Schools, and Society (TSS) should complete the additional requirements described on the program website.