Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education Policy

*Applications for a fall 2021 start are due December 1, 2020. Beginning this fall 2020, all applicants will receive full and equal consideration with or without GRE scores. Please review our Application Requirements page for more information. .

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Urban Education Policy program prepares you to conduct high quality, consequential research promoting educational excellence and social justice. This effort stands on three pillars: preparing students to pursue educational equity through research; studying educational equity across disciplines; and constructing a diverse, inclusive professional community.

Students in the PhD program are fully funded for four calendar years, and we welcome applicants whose research interests align with USC Rossier’s mission. The program seeks both personal and disciplinary diversity in our student body and prepares leaders to achieve educational equity through practice, research and policy, and seeks candidates who plan to pursue careers as research scholars. Students will benefit from close interaction with a distinguished faculty and a collaborative research community at the University of Southern California.

Our areas of research and study are:

Educational Psychology
Higher Education
K12 Education Policy
Teacher Education

The next event for the PhD program is listed below. Please check the Info Sessions banner on the left-hand side for more upcoming events.

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Curriculum Overview

As a graduate of the PhD program, you will have first-rate research skills, substantive knowledge of urban education, and a strong professional network. Additionally, your record of achievement will include the academic publications and presentations necessary for success as faculty at top research universities, or as research analysts and policy-makers.