Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy with a specialization in Social Justice and International Studies in Education (Educational Policy Studies)

Effective July 1, 2024, admission to the Doctor of Education (Educational Policy Studies) program will be suspended. Continuing students admitted to the program prior to July 1, 2024 must complete all program requirements by April 30, 2029. The last degree in this program will be granted at Spring Convocation 2029. Continuing students must refer to the Calendar under which they were admitted for program, promotion and graduation requirements.

Social Justice and International Studies in Education (SJI) focuses on the theoretical, philosophical, and ideological underpinnings of education as well as the social and cultural contexts in which education takes place. Formerly known as “educational foundations,” the SJI specialization draws heavily on philosophy, history, sociology, and other social sciences in its approach to the study of education within varying local, national and international settings. Accordingly, ethics, epistemology, historiography, political economy, sociology, social and political theory, comparative education, and cultural studies provide the conceptual lenses through which education is systematically examined. SJI courses thus explore linkages between education and economic, political and cultural systems, and expose students to a range of political, moral-ethical, and epistemological frameworks for thinking about social and economic inequality, gender and race relations, multiculturalism, sexual orientation, school-to-work transitions, and North-South conflicts.

Students are not normally admitted to the EdD in this specialization.

Program Requirements

In addition to the department core courses (6 units), students must complete specialization core courses and optional courses for a minimum total of 24 units in graduate courses.

Department core courses (6 units)

Options

500-level or 600-level courses taken across the department or faculty chosen to enhance the program.
Students may undertake a supervised individual study course if permitted by their specialization program and only with prior approval by their supervisor and the Graduate Coordinator. Permission will not be granted if the proposed content is available through regular course offerings.

Dissertation

Registration in 900-level THES. All students in a doctoral program are required to present a dissertation embodying the results of their research on a topic approved by their supervisor and supervisory committee.

Candidacy Exam

The completion of coursework, the Academic Integrity and Ethics Training and the Candidacy Exam must be completed within three years of the start of the program. For part time students, these requirements must be complete within four years of the start of the program.

Residence Requirements

The minimum period of residence for the PhD degree is two academic years of full-time study at the University of Alberta.

Students pursuing the EdD degree may satisfy their residence requirement in one of two registration patterns. Students are expected to have significant contact with the University of Alberta during their residence through time spent on campus and through interactions with the faculty and graduate students at the University:

Pattern A:
As part of the program there will be a period of full-time study for a minimum of 12 continuous months.

Pattern B:
Students must complete at least 18 units (courses and/or THES registration) in each of the first three years. For students who start their programs part-time, the candidacy exam must be completed by the end of year four.

Length of Program

The maximum time to complete doctoral programs as set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is six years.