Literacy, Language and Culture, PhD

Program Description

The Literacy, Language and Culture (LLC) PhD program is designed to provide an in-depth advanced education for students who have completed a master’s degree in education and desire to pursue careers as scholars, researchers, university faculty, and educational leaders. The program is grounded in the belief that literacy skills, including reading, writing, and oral language, are integral to success in school and in the work place, to enriching social lives, and to active and effective citizenship. Coursework provides a broad background in the relevant theoretical and research literature in the areas of literacy, language, and culture along with opportunities to conduct original studies that explore the nature of both in- and out-of-school literacy practices. Students pursuing an LLC PhD receive research training enables them to use their skills to address educational problems associated with literacy development, particularly for individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds and from areas of high poverty.

Summary of Degree Requirements

The Literacy, Language and Culture PhD requires the completion of the courses (54 credit hours) listed below. In addition to completion of coursework, students must:

• Engage in scholarly writing, publication and presentation of research and papers at national and international professional conferences
• Complete qualifying examinations and/or projects
• Develop an approved dissertation research proposal
• Successfully conduct original research and write and defend a dissertation.

The final basis for granting this degree is the student’s grasp of the subject matter across a broad field of study and their competence in planning and conducting research culminating in dissertation research.

Coursework

Core Literacy, Language and Culture Courses-12 Credits

• EDLT 9000 - Sociocultural Theories of Learning 3 Credits  
• EDLT 9100 - Theoretical Models of Reading and Writing 3 Credits  
• EDLT 9110 - Academic Writing for Doctoral Students in Education 3 Credits  
• EDLT 9140 - Language Development, Diversity and Discourse 3 Credits  

Cognate Courses-9 Credits

Students take three additional courses that constitute a cognate in one of the following four focus areas: Language and Diversity; Digital and Disciplinary Literacies; Literacy Leadership; or Early Literacy. In addition to EDLT cognate course offering, cognate courses may be selected from doctoral courses in education or other disciplines such as sociology, psychology, English, and linguistics in consultation with the doctoral advisor and committee members. Depending on the existing prior knowledge and/or experience of individual students, doctoral advisors and committee members use the GS2 to request additional cognate coursework as needed. Please note that the cognate courses must be approved by the doctoral advisor and committee members.

Research Methods Courses-13 Credits

The following two courses (7 hours) are required:

• EDF 9270 - Quantitative Research Designs and Statistics for Educational Contexts 4 Credits  
• EDF 9790 - Qualitative Research in Education 3 Credits  

Two courses (6 hours) selected from the following list are options: EDF 9080 , EDF 9710 , EDF 9720 , EDF 9730 , EDF 9750 , EDF 9780 , EDF 9810 , EDSP 9360 , MATH 8070 , PSYC 8730  

Departmental Doctoral Seminar-2 Credits

• EDLT 9320 - Literacy, Language and Culture Doctoral Seminar  

Dissertation Course-18 Credits Minimum

• EDLT 9340 - Doctoral Dissertation Research in Literacy, Language and Culture 1-9 Credits