Dec 06, 2025  
2025-2026 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

Education, Ph.D.

www.smu.edu/EducationPhD

The Simmons School’s research-intensive Ph.D. in education program is designed to develop future scholars through rigorous interdisciplinary training and hands-on research experience in fields such as AI and technology-enhanced learning; the learning sciences; literacy education; bilingual education; embodied cognition; mathematics education; psychometrics; higher education policy; and leadership, poverty, special education, STEM, and PK-12 policy and leadership.

It prepares graduates to work in academic areas; to perform research; and to make significant contributions to research, policy and practice in their fields of interest. The program offers the following:

  • Apprenticeships with top scholars across fields of study in education and human development.
  • Career mentoring in professional publishing, teaching, presenting and grant writing.
  • Courses of study emphasizing strong training in research methodology, with options to tailor courses and experiences to align with individual research interests.
  • Opportunities for professional enhancement and experiences collaborating across disciplines and on community-, school- and agency-based projects (Center on Research Evaluation, Budd Center: Involving Communities in Education, Research in Mathematics Education, Bush Institute and Institute for Evidence-Based Education).

The program requires 60 credit hours of coursework and typically takes 4 years to complete. All admitted students receive a tuition waiver and health insurance, which are fully funded by the Simmons School for 4 years. Students also receive $30,000 in compensation per academic year for 4 years. To receive these benefits, students complete a Graduate Research Assistantship (a form of mentored research experience under the supervision of one or more faculty members). Graduate Research Assistantships typically involve 20 hours of work per week throughout the academic year. Students receive their compensation in the form of bi-weekly or monthly payments. Miscellaneous student fees (e.g., on-campus parking fees) are not included.

Contact Information:

Doctor of Philosophy in Education
PO Box 750455
Dallas TX 75725-0455
214-768-1715
www.smu.edu/EducationPhD

Curriculum

Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours during the four-year full-time program prior to the dissertation year. The program is a model in which students complete a core set of courses as a cohort and a unique set of electives and research experiences. The core curriculum includes the following:

Admission

Applications submitted by December 1 receive priority review; applications received after December 1 are reviewed on a rolling basis until admission decisions are made. The Ph.D. program is designed to augment an existing master’s degree or equivalent preparation. Applications must be submitted via “gradadmission.smu.edu/apply” and should include the following:

  1. Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
  2. A statement of professional purpose.
  3. An academic writing sample.
  4. Three letters of recommendation.
  5. CV or resume.

Degree Requirements

Students must enroll in a minimum of nine credit hours of coursework per term and be full-time residents in the Dallas area for the first three academic years of the program. In addition to completing coursework, students apprentice on research projects for 20 hours each week during the academic calendar year, for which they typically receive fellowship pay, benefits and waived tuition. Degree requirements include the following milestones:

  • A total of 60 credit hours of coursework (up to six credit hours can be transferred).
  • Qualifying exams (literature synthesis and research design).
  • Major area paper.
  • Professional competencies (conference presentation, publication, teaching in higher education).
  • Dissertation with an oral defense.

At the discretion of the adviser and doctoral committee, the Education Specialist degree is offered as an alternative to the Ph.D. to students who are unable to complete the doctorate. In order to qualify for the Ed.S., a student must: (a) complete 60 term hours, (b) pass qualifying exams, (c) write an acceptable major area paper, and (d) submit an acceptable professional competencies portfolio.