Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.)

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Program Overview

Ideal for those interested in a career as a professor in teacher education programs at the collegiate level, as well as those interested in becoming master teachers, curriculum and instruction specialists, supervisory personnel, academic coordinators, and educational specialists in state departments. Coursework may be taken in elementary, secondary, special, or STEM education to allow for individual needs and goals. This program provides you with the necessary background and professional expertise to go into university teaching, supervisory work in schools, curriculum planning, consultant work or similar positions. The USD School of Education has been accredited by CAEP (formerly NCATE) since 1956. Learn more at usd.edu/tre

DELIVERY: On campus

Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction

The Doctor of Education requires a minimum of 90 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, or 60 hours beyond the master’s degree, including 15 credit hours of dissertation. A program of study designed by the committee chair and candidate must follow the catalog requirements and be approved by the division chair and must include one major area coursework selected from one or more of the areas of Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, Indian Education, Middle Level Education, and/or Technology for Education and Training.

Students seeking a doctorate should discuss the residency options in this program with the division chairperson or their advisor upon admission to the program.

Doctor of Education, Curriculum & Instruction: Total 90 credit hours

Required courses in major area 45 credit hours
Required courses in support area 15 credit hours
Other support courses 30 credit hours

Required Courses in Major Area: 45 credit hours

Minimum of 45 credit hours with ELED, SEED, SPED, MLED, INED, TET, LT prefix to include

Select one of the following Topics courses in Doctoral Competencies I: 3 credit hour required:
ELED 792 - Topics (C) 1 to 3 cr Doctoral Competencies I (3 credit hours required)
SEED 792 - Topics (C) 1 to 3 cr Doctoral Competencies I (3 credit hours required)
SPED 792 - Topics (C) 1 to 3 cr Doctoral Competencies I (3 credit hours required)
Select one of the following Topics courses in Doctoral Competencies II: 3 credit hours required
ELED 892 - Topics (C) 1-3 cr Doctoral Competencies II (3 credit hours required)
SEED 892 - Topics (C) 1-3 cr Doctoral Competencies II (3 credit hours required)
SPED 892 - Topics (C) 1-3 cr Doctoral Competencies II (3 credit hours required)
Select one of the Internship courses 3 credit hour required:
ELED 894D - Internship (Ed.D.) 1 to 8 cr (3 cr hours required)
SEED 894D - Internship (Ed.D.) 2 to 8 cr (3 cr hours required)
SPED 894D - Internship (Ed.D.) 1 to 8 cr (3 cr hours required)
Select one of the following Dissertation courses 15 credit hours required:
ELED 898D - Dissertation (Ed.D.) 1 to 15 cr
SEED 898D - Dissertation (Ed.D.) 1 to 15 cr
SPED 898D - Dissertation (Ed.D.) 1 to 15 cr

Advanced Courses:

21 credit hours approved by the advisor. Courses can come from one or any of the following curriculum areas ELED/SEED/SPED/INED/MLED/TET/LT

Required Courses in Support Areas: 15 credit hours

EDER 762 - Foundations of Statistics 3 cr
EDER 763 - Qualitative Methods of Educational Research 3 cr
EDER 860 - Advanced Statistics I 3 cr
Electives in Support Areas

6 credit hours approved by the advisor. Courses can come from any School of Education curriculum area.
AHED 882 - Seminar in College Teaching 3 cr (Recommended)
EDAD 810 - Research in Educational Leadership 3 cr (Recommended)

General Application Requirements

Completed application
$35 application fee
Official transcripts*
Letters of recommendation*
Statement of purpose
Resume/CV*

*Requirements for admission vary by program and may require different documentation and have different deadlines. This list is not all-inclusive, to view specific program requirements and submission deadlines, follow the “Admissions Information” hyperlink at the top of this page OR visit the specific program/dept. page found here: link.usd.edu/grad-catalog

Location Matters for Non-Licensure Track Programs

This program is not designed or advertised to lead to a professional license or certification required for employment.

USD is permitted to operate under the terms of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) policies and standards in offering online courses/degree programs to residents in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Online courses/programs may also be offered to residents of California (a non-SARA state) because it does not regulate out-of-state public institutions.

Additionally, this program is authorized to offer supervised field study experiences (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) in South Dakota. Please be aware that there may be some restrictions on your ability to engage in supervised field study outside of South Dakota. Please contact a program representative if you have questions regarding supervised field study.

Distance education courses or programs will not be offered outside of the United States without prior written approval from the University, which may be withheld for any reason. If you are taking distance courses while physically located outside of the United States, it is your responsibility to confirm the following: (a) if the country will recognize an online degree; (b) the availability of supervised field study opportunities in the country; and (c) if the country charges any additional taxes, withholdings or fees associated with online distance education programs.

For more information, please visit USD’s State Authorization page or contact your admissions counselor.

Questions?

Division of Teacher Residency and Education
Phone:605-658-6639 | tre @usd.edu | usd.edu/tre

Graduate Admissions
605-658-6140 | gradadmissions@usd.edu | usd.edu/grad