Ph.D. Admission Requirements

We are pleased that you are interested in a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction here at the University of Arkansas.

Applicants must meet entry requirements of the Graduate School and the CIED program to which they are applying. The Graduate School requirements for admission are available in the University of Arkansas Graduate School Catalog. Note that all required documents need to be submitted electronically through the Graduate School Application.  CIED no longer accepts emailed applications or materials.

Deadlines

You will want to be aware of a few key deadlines as you make your plans:

 

Admission Criteria

The decision to admit a student to graduate study at the PhD level is multi-faceted. It involves not only a review of the students’ qualifications but also the department’s capacity and ability to help each student achieve their specific personal and career goals. The admission decision to the Ph.D. program includes a review of the following:

• Recent GRE Scores
  • Quantitative, Verbal, and Written Expression
• Relevant Master’s degree with a strong G.P.A.
• An available faculty mentor in the desired area of interest
  • Favorable faculty mentor reviews of:
    • Writing sample which demonstrates scholarly writing competency
    • Letters of recommendation
  • Three years of related experience in the desired area of interest

Applicants with recent GRE scores at the 50^th percentile or above in all three areas and a Master’s degree with a GPA of 3.5 or above are eligible for admission by the CIED Graduate Coordinator as long as all of the other admission criteria are met. Applicants with GRE scores below the 50^th percentile and/or a Master’s GPA below 3.5 are reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee, which makes the final decision regarding admission.

Departmental Application

In addition to the materials required for the Graduate School application, all applicants for the Ph.D. program in CIED will need to upload each of the following to their application:

1. RESUME or CV: Please provide a current resume including details of you as a professional and a scholar. 

2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Tell us about yourself by providing a brief personal narrative account linked to a statement of purpose regarding your future career plans. In other words, tell us why you why want to earn a PhD with a focus in curriculum and instruction. Do you want to advance in your present position, or do you want a career as a professor in a higher education environment? What impact would you like to make personally and professionally by earning a Ph.D.? What is your area of interest? For instance, are you interested in literacy education, TESOL, science, mathematics, history, technology or elementary education (to name some possibilities)?   The best strategy is to find a specialty that will permit you to grow as a professional and graduate from the University of Arkansas with specific expertise.  

3. WRITING SAMPLE: Upload an original writing sample (fewer than 20 pages, please) that illustrates your ability to communicate in a clear and creative fashion. This might be a paper that you have written for a recent class, a position paper, an action plan that you may have written for your employer or a published work. The purpose of this is to give us an idea of your communication skills and who you are as a communicator. Keep in mind that quality, not quantity, is the key. Please respect the length requirement; you may need to edit something you have already written.  

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Assistantship positions are available to the various programs that comprise the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Applicants interested in a Graduate Assistantship position should contact the Graduate Coordinator (ciedgrad@uark.edu) to inquire about the availability of Graduate Assistantship positions within their intended area of interest. If an assistantship position is available, the Graduate Coordinator will connect the applicant with the program for their area of interest. Graduate Assistantship nominations are made by the faculty in the applicant’s area of interest. Once an applicant has been nominated by the faculty in their area of interest, their application is reviewed by the CIED Department Head, Graduate Coordinator, and Assistant Department Head to confirm eligibility.

Graduate Assistantship decisions are highly competitive. Approximately 20% of Ph.D. students in CIED hold Graduate Assistantships. These are available for our strongest applicants. Even though applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for admission listed above are unlikely to receive a Graduate Assistantship position, we welcome all applicants. Preference for Graduate Assistantship positions is also given to candidates who present a strong case for a Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship (DDF) or a Doctoral Academy Fellowship (DAF).  More information regarding the doctoral fellowships is available on the Graduate School website.

If you have questions about the Ph.D. program in CIED or want more information about the application process, please contact the CIED Graduate Coordinator ciedgrad@uark.edu.