Doctoral Program (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. program in Learning, Teaching, and Diversity is offered by the Vanderbilt Graduate School. Students admitted to the program typically receive full tuition support, health insurance, and graduate assistantships that cover living expenses. A significant proportion of students also receive scholarships that increase their level of financial support. Several generous travel grant programs enable students to participate in national conferences even during their first year in the program.

Three areas of specialization within the program are organized around faculty interests and areas of expertise:

• Language, Literacy, and Culture
• Development, Learning, and Diversity
• Mathematics and Science Education

The doctoral program has recently been redesigned to maximize synergy between faculty and students. The program focuses on current issues of research and practice, and offers students considerable flexibility to pursue their developing goals and interests. Each of the three areas provides a graduated apprenticeship in becoming a creative scholar and a university teacher.

The factors that distinguish the program are:

• The number of required courses is relatively small so that individual programs of study can be tailored to students' goals and interests.
• The program is designed to maximize interaction between faculty and students.
• Students are actively involved in conducting research studies during their first year in the program.
• As students progress through the program, they are mentored to conduct increasingly ambitious investigations and to develop papers for publication and presentation and conferences.
• Students participate with faculty members in research groups of a year or more in duration that are organized around issues of mutual interest.
• Additional learning experiences beyond course work include participating as a graduate research assistant in federally funded research projects and collaborating with faculty members in teaching prospective elementary or secondary teachers.

The program prepares students to address the interdisciplinary nature of problems related to learning environments, culture, and diversity. Faculty members create opportunities for students to work across the traditional boundaries that separate different subject matter domains, scholarship and practice, and world of schooling from the family, community, and workplace.

Our objective is for our doctoral students to have a research apprenticeship experience that prepares graduates for a variety of research and leadership roles.

Length of Study
Doctoral study in all three areas of specialization typically requires approximately four years of full-time study.

How to Apply
Applications for fall admission are due by December 31.

Financial Support
Doctoral students in the Learning, Teaching, and Diversity program typically receive full tuition support, health insurance, and graduate assistantships that cover living expenses. A significant proportion of students also receive scholarships that increase their level of financial support. Several generous travel grant programs enable students to participate in national conferences even during their first year in the program.

“Peabody [Teaching and Learning] professors understand the demands of
tier-one research universities and so involve us [their doctoral students], developing mentor/protégé relationships as we begin our own academic careers.  The goal of the research groups and the annual projects is to provide this sort of atmosphere where we enter academia through manageable steps and goals.” — Judson Laughter