Our Ph.D. program critically engages students in contemporary issues that impact education research, policy and practice. Emphasizing collaboration, the program is an interdisciplinary graduate group that draws its faculty from diverse fields of education, humanities, social science, physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and medicine, and engages with key campus centers and programs, such as the M.I.N.D. Institute and the Poverty Center. To learn more about our faculty, from the left-hand menu click on the Graduate Group Faculty.
Designed to foster scholarly engagement and impact the practice of education, students may select from 5 areas of emphasis:
Language, Literacy and Culture
Learning and Mind Sciences
Mathematics Education
Science and Agricultural Education
School Organization and Educational Policy
To learn more about these, click on PhD Program Emphasis Areas from the left-hand menu.
Graduates of our program gain deep knowledge of educational theory and practice related to strengthening schools and other educational settings. Our close proximity to California’s state capital of Sacramento also affords students a rich set of opportunities and networks for influencing education policy.
To learn more about applying to our program, click on Admissions & Financial Aid – PhD Program.
As a product of the U.S. educational system, I grew up being miseducated about my own culture and history. Although the school curriculum didn’t explicitly teach me that my culture was inferior, the lack of Hmong history and culture in school made me believe this.
Mind, Body and Student: PhD student Roxanne Rashedi explores using yoga in the classroom
Third-year PhD student Roxanne Rashedi wants to know if yoga-based practices can be used in classrooms to enhance young children’s self- regulatory skills. “We know that self-regulation develops rapidly in young children,” she said. “I’m going to look at what effect brief doses of yoga-based practices may have on children’s ability to self-regulate. How can we design a sustainable and feasible curriculum for teachers to use in school settings?”
On April 19th, the Graduate Group in Education invited its faculty and PhD students to display posters of their 2015/16 conference presentations. This is a great opportunity for students to display their enthusiasm and excitement for their research while learning about others’ work as well.
There is no specific length of time associated with earning a PhD. Across disciplines and campuses, the average amount of time to earn the degree is between four and five years, although individual time varies widely.
