The full-time PhD program provides rigorous interdisciplinary training that develops students’ abilities to conduct evidence-based research on real-world educational challenges. The training emphasizes the development and evaluation of educational policies and practices that address the outcomes of historically underserved students and schools. Programmatically, students receive a balance of one-to-one apprenticeship model that pairs exceptional interdisciplinary candidates with nationally acclaimed faculty mentors on the one hand, with engaging coursework, sophisticated methodological training, and cohort-based learning on the other. The cutting-edge research skills students acquire position them for faculty careers, leadership positions in educational research organizations, and policymaking roles.
Contact Us
Faculty Lead
Hunter Gehlbach, PhD
gehlbach@jhu.edu
Sr. Academic Program Administrator
Raven Minervino
443-927-0150
ravenm@jhu.edu
Doctor of Philosophy
At A Glance
Frequency
FULL-TIME
Location
BALTIMORE
Credits
72
Start Term
FALL
Completion Time
4+ YEARS
Application Deadline
DECEMBER 15, 2022
Application requirements and deadlines
| Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment: | Full-Time; This program requires in-person residential study at the JHU School of Education located in Baltimore, MD. | |
| Start Terms: | Fall only | |
| Application Deadline: | The application for Fall 2023 will open on July 18, 2022. The application completion deadline is December 15, 2022. Note: the application deadline represents the endpoint in the application process (i.e., the completion of your file) rather than the beginning of that process). All materials, including official transcripts, letters of recommendation, and test scores, must be received by the Admissions Office on or before the Dec. 15, 2022 deadline for full consideration. | |
| Prerequisite: | Earned bachelor’s (four year) and master’s degree from a regionally or nationally- accredited college or university. Previous degrees must document outstanding academic achievement in an area of study closely associated with the objectives of this PhD program. | |
| Application Requirements: | Online application form | |
| $80.00 application fee | ||
| Resume/CV | ||
| Essay: | A personal statement of professional goals (not to exceed 750 words) including responses to the following questions: 1) How will participating in the program advance your career? 2) What experiences have you had that relate to school improvement? 3) What do you hope to learn as a result of being a student in the doctoral program? |
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| Writing sample: a sample of an applicant's most professional writing that demonstrates analytic and critical writing skills (average 10-20 pages). | ||
| Three Letters of Recommendation: | At least three letters of recommendation - two submitted by faculty members who are familiar with the student's previous academic work, and one submitted by a supervisor or administrator who has been in a position to evaluate the student’s professional development. | |
| Official GRE scores | ||
| Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended | ||
| An interview may be required | ||
| International Applicants: | Please reference the International Student Admission Instructions for additional requirements. | |
Tuition and fees
All PhD students at the School of Education are eligible for a fellowship for up to four years. The fellowship includes a yearly stipend and will cover tuition and fees.
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Admissions Information
What set my experience apart was the chance to work with remarkable mentors who are not only impactful researchers in the field, but also genuinely care about me as a person.
Amanda Inns, PhD ’18
Deputy Director, Consortium for School-Based Health Solutions
Doctor of Philosophy
Program Description
With its goal of pursuing big ideas and sharing knowledge to address real-world challenges, Johns Hopkins University takes pride in its founding mission as the United States’ first research university. The full-time Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD) at the Johns Hopkins School of Education embraces that tradition. We offer a world-class, research-focused program that prepares exceptional scholars to investigate and develop policies and practices that improve educational outcomes from pre-K through secondary school and beyond. Students draw insights from different disciplines (e.g., educational psychology, learning sciences, sociology of education), synthesizing their knowledge to craft multidisciplinary, evidence-based approaches to address educational policies and practices—particularly those that can improve outcomes for historically underserved populations. Immersion in modern research methods—advanced statistical techniques, open science approaches, and data science—facilitates students’ capacities to argue for research-based educational reforms. Students benefit from the mentorship of nationally acclaimed researchers in an apprenticeship model as well as collaborative learning opportunities from courses, research groups, and their cohort. Our graduates go on to careers in higher education as professors, as policymakers, and influential scholars at research-intensive universities, institutes, and centers.
Doctor of Philosophy
Core Faculty
Robert Balfanz
Rebecca Cruz
Hunter Gehlbach
Martha Mac Iver
Stephen Morgan
Alexandra Shelton
Ashley Berner
Norma Day-Vines
Richard Lofton
Matthew Makel
Jonathan Plucker
Amy Shelton
Julia Burdick-Will
Marcia Davis
Douglas J. Mac Iver
Olivia Marcucci
Eric Rice
Marc Stein
Doctor of Philosophy
PROGRAM PLAN
Program outline and requirements
Program requirements include earning a minimum of 72 graduate credits taken at the doctoral level at Johns Hopkins University. While the program will be tailored to the specific learning needs of each student, it includes the following coursework components:
- Research Methods and Statistics courses (minimum 18 credit hours)
- Core Seminars (15 credit hours)
- Major and/or minor area electives and readings (minimum 21 credit hours)
- Dissertation Research (18 credit hours)
In addition to successfully completing the coursework requirements, candidates must satisfy the following program benchmarks:
- Research progress
- Written and oral comprehensive examinations
- Dissertation proposal oral examination
- Graduate Board oral examination
- Final dissertation exam
All School of Education PhD students will devote at least four years to full-time study and research as a resident student. Students are expected to maintain enrollment as full-time graduate students over the course of the program. With the approval of their adviser and PhD program director, students may petition to transfer up to 12 credit hours of previously completed graduate-level coursework to substitute for selected courses.
Dissertation
The program is designed as an apprenticeship model leading to a traditional research dissertation. The expectation is that students will develop the skills and knowledge throughout the program required to pursue a traditional research dissertation. Although the dissertation is not part of the formal coursework, the program is designed to put a student on track to develop an area of expertise as the foundation for an independent research project directed by the adviser. Students are expected to complete and defend a dissertation proposal by the end of the third year and use the final year to complete and defend the dissertation. The dissertation is expected to demonstrate mastery of the relevant literature and scholarship in the collection and interpretation of data. The work should be appropriate for publication in high-impact journals in the student’s area of expertise. The dissertation will be presented at a final oral defense before the student’s Dissertation Advisory Committee.
Fellowship
All PhD students at the School of Education are eligible for a Fellowship for up to four years. The Fellowship includes a yearly stipend and will cover tuition and fees. The Fellowship will also cover individual health, dental, and vision insurance. All PhD students must be registered full-time and be in good academic standing every semester to continue to be eligible for their Fellowship.
Course Information
Course descriptions, locations, and availability
Doctor of Philosophy
WHAT TO EXPECT
Program Goals
Upon successful program completion, graduates will have the capacity to:
- Translate disciplinary knowledge into multidisciplinary applications and solutions.
- Draw upon a suite of cutting-edge research skills based on their personalized interests/needs—including:
- Employing sophisticated statistical/data science approaches,
- Linking educational practices with student outcomes in complex databases,
- Employing open science strategies,
- Designing survey measures,
- Conducting innovative program evaluations, and
- Navigating research-practice partnerships.
- Conduct and use evidence-based research to inform and assess educational policies and practices that improve outcomes for historically underserved populations.
Doctor of Philosophy
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What educational backgrounds do most students in the program come from (as in, their experiences in education)?
Students in the program come in with a range of experiences. Most, but not all, have been in the K–12 space as teachers. All have master’s degrees, and about two-thirds of those are in education. We have stressed strong graduate GPA and GRE scores, but we also look at the whole package. We look for students who have some understanding of what it means to really dig in to research. Students in this program are full time, and the program is designed to develop the independent scholar for academic and other research settings.
What are the research interests of students in the program?
As to the research interests of our students, they mirror the interests of our faculty. We ask that applicants research our faculty/advisers and reach out to the ones that mirror their own interests.
How long is this program and is it funded?
All School of Education PhD students will devote at least four years to full-time study and research as a resident student. All PhD students at the School of Education are eligible for a fellowship for up to four years. The fellowship includes a yearly stipend and will cover tuition and fees.
Doctor of Philosophy