Educational Policy Studies

This program provides Ph.D. students with the knowledge and skills to design and produce research that draws on a theoretical foundation and employs appropriate methods to offer causal evidence to important education policy questions. The program provides students with coursework and research experiences to realize this goal. Coursework includes a rigorous understanding of research methods, inter-disciplinary exposure to theory, an understanding of the relationships among the important institutions and stakeholders in particular educational environments, e.g., P-12 or higher education, and finally an understanding of how these components may be applied to questions of policy in education. Each student will work closely with at least one member of the faculty in a mentoring relationship that develops research capacity.