Frequency Full-time
Format In-person
Completion Time 4+ years
Credits 72

The Johns Hopkins School of Education’s full-time PhD program offers an individually tailored learning experience based on a student’s interest in finding solutions to pressing education problems. Select applicants receive full tuition and a stipend.

The School of Education will pause admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD) program for the 2025-26 academic year while we add several programmatic improvements. The next intake for admission to the PhD program will be for students who want to matriculate in the Fall 2026 semester. The online application will open in August 2025 to begin accepting submissions, and the application completion deadline will be December 16, 2025. Please complete our Request for Information Form to receive updates and announcements for the next admission period.

The program provides rigorous interdisciplinary training that develops students’ abilities to conduct evidence-based research on real-world educational challenges. Instruction and mentorship emphasizes the development and evaluation of policies and practices that address real-world educational problems.

Students benefit from a one-to-one apprenticeship model that pairs exceptional interdisciplinary candidates with nationally acclaimed faculty mentors, along with engaging coursework, sophisticated methodological training, and cohort-based learning.

Questions? Please reach out and we’ll be in touch soon.

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Learn about our PhD students.

Upcoming Admissions Events

Have questions about our degree programs, the application, or financial aid and costs? Join us for an inside look at a graduate experience defined by innovation and driven by evidence-based research. Learn more about your area of interest or career path, meet some of our faculty, and connect to the Johns Hopkins School of Education community. Check out our admissions events and register for a virtual information session today.

Core Faculty

  • Jennifer Adams, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Director, International Teaching and Global Leadership

    Affiliation

    Innovative Teaching & Leadership

    Expertise

    International Teaching & Global Leadership

    Headshot of Jennifer  Adams, PhD
  • Robert Balfanz, PhD

    Professor
    Co-Director, Center for Social Organization of Schools

    Affiliation

    Center for Social Organization of Schools, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Education Policy & Politics, Research, Evaluation & Assessment, Social Context of Education

    Headshot of Robert  Balfanz, PhD
  • Ashley Rogers Berner, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

    Affiliation

    Institute for Education Policy, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Education Policy & Politics, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Ashley Rogers Berner, PhD
  • Rebecca Cruz, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, Innovative Teaching & Leadership

    Expertise

    Education Policy & Politics, Social Context of Education, Special Education

    Headshot of Rebecca  Cruz, PhD
  • Marcia Davis, PhD

    Associate Professor (Research)
    Co-Director, Center for Social Organization of Schools
    Director of Research, Baltimore Education Research Consortium

    Affiliation

    Center for Social Organization of Schools, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Learning & Instruction, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Marcia  Davis, PhD
  • Affiliation

    Counseling & Educational Studies

    Expertise

    Counseling & Human Development

    Headshot of Norma L.  Day-Vines, PhD
  • Hunter Gehlbach, PhD

    Professor
    Faculty Lead, PhD Program

    Affiliation

    Advanced Studies in Education

    Expertise

    Learning & Instruction, Measurement & Research Methodologies

    Headshot of Hunter  Gehlbach, PhD
  • Odis Johnson, Jr., PhD

    Bloomberg Distinguished Professor
    Executive Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools
    Director, Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, and Mixed Methodologies

    Affiliation

    Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Education Policy & Politics, Measurement & Research Methodologies, Social Context of Education

    Headshot of Odis  Johnson, Jr., PhD
  • Richard Lofton, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Center for Safe and Healthy Schools

    Expertise

    Education Policy & Politics, Social Context of Education

    Headshot of Richard  Lofton, PhD
  • Affiliation

    Center for Social Organization of Schools

    Expertise

    Curriculum Studies, Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Douglas  J.  Mac Iver, PhD
  • Martha Abele Mac Iver, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Associate Dean of Research

    Affiliation

    Center for Social Organization of Schools, SOE Leadership

    Expertise

    Research, Evaluation & Assessment

    Headshot of Martha Abele Mac Iver, PhD
  • Olivia Marcucci, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Advanced Studies in Education, Center for Safe and Healthy Schools

    Expertise

    Social Context of Education

    Headshot of Olivia  Marcucci, PhD
  • Affiliation

    Advanced Studies in Education

    Expertise

    Counseling & Human Development, Postsecondary Education, Social Context of Education, Urban Education

    Headshot of Ebony  McGee,  PhD
  • Stephen Morgan, PhD

    Bloomberg Distinguished Professor

    Expertise

    Measurement & Research Methodologies, Social Context of Education

  • Jonathan Plucker, PhD

    Research Professor
    Faculty Lead, Master of Science in Education Policy

    Affiliation

    Counseling & Educational Studies

    Expertise

    Education Policy & Politics, Gifted Education, Learning & Instruction

    Headshot of Jonathan  Plucker,  PhD
  • Eric Rice, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Counseling & Educational Studies

    Expertise

    Social Context of Education, Urban Education

    Headshot of Eric  Rice, PhD
  • Joshua C. Schuschke, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Counseling & Educational Studies

    Expertise

    Educational Technology

    Headshot of Joshua C. Schuschke, PhD
  • Alexandra Shelton, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Affiliation

    Innovative Teaching & Leadership

    Expertise

    Learning & Instruction, Special Education

    Headshot of Alexandra  Shelton, PhD
  • Angela R. Watson, PhD

    Assistant Research Professor

    Affiliation

    Institute for Education Policy

    Expertise

    Education Policy & Politics

    Headshot of Angela R. Watson, PhD

Program Overview

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 U.S.’s first research university. The full-time Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education 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, policymakers, and influential scholars at research-intensive universities, institutes, and centers.

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 also covers 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.

View Degree Requirements

After SOE

Through our PhD program, students acquire cutting-edge research skills that position them for tenure-track faculty positions in higher education, policymaking roles with state agencies or school systems, and leadership positions in educational research organizations.

Careers

  • Research and Post Secondary Teaching
  • University Professor
  • University Researcher
  • Policy Analyst

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 Neitzel (Inns), PhD ’18 Deputy Director, Consortium for School-Based Health Solutions
Amanda Neitzel faculty headshot