The doctoral degree is a terminal degree in social studies education. Please see the Doctoral degrees section of the STL website to learn more about this degrees.

Admission Criteria

1. Earned masters and/or specalist degree in Social Studies Education or related field.
2. Minimum of 1000 on the verbal/quantitative portions of the General GRE. Applicants must have a minimum of 450 on the verbal section of the GRE.
3. Upper division undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
4. Statement of purpose describing why you want this degree and how obtaining this degree can help you meet personal and career goals. In your statement of purpose, it is also important for you to discuss what you will bring to the College of Education, the field of social studies education, and the influence you want to have on the field of social studies education.
5. Three letters of reference from college/university faculty members. To use the letter of recommendation form, please click here.
6. Two or three years of relevant work experience, preferably in classroom teaching or a school setting.
7. Strong content background (equivalent of a masters degree in a social science content area).
8. Current resume
9. Application for Assistantship/Fellowship. Please click here to access the application.

Minimum Coursework Requirements

Students must have a minimum of 90 hours of graduate coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree. Please note that this is a minimum and your advisor and doctoral committee could require more hours than 90. Doctoral students will have required coursework in the following areas:

• Area of Specialization: 21 hours of graduate coursework in Social Studies Education
• Minor or Specialization: 15 hours of graduate coursework in areas such as teacher education, foundations, technology, or media literacy
• Foundations: 3 hours of graduate coursework in social or historical foundations
• Doctoral Seminars: 15 hours of doctoral seminars in the School of Teaching & Learning
• Research Methods: 12 hours of educational research coursework in one of three tracks: qualitative, quantitative, or combined qualitative/quantiative. Make sure to consult the College of Education approved list of doctoral courses.
• Doctoral Research: 12-24 hours of supervised dissertation research
• Qualifying exams (written and oral)
• Dissertation proposal and defense

Residency Requirements

Doctoral students must spend at least two consecutive academic year semesters (Fall/Spring) as a full-time student in residence at the University of Florida. Minimum enrollment is 9 credit hours for a full-time students on assistantship and 12 hours for a full-time student on a fellowship or a student not on an assistantship.