PhD Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Programme overview

The schools in North Carolina and in the nation face myriad complex issues and challenges. These challenges range from meeting the educational and social-emotional needs of diverse student populations to designing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs within cultural contexts. The Ph.D. in education prepares leaders in educational research who understand these issues and who can improve educational practice using state-of-the-art knowledge and research skills. The design of the program fosters collaboration among faculty members and students from diverse disciplines.

Faculty: School of Education | Department: Education | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chapel Hill, NC, United States

What you will study

Core courses include EDUC 710 Introductory Statistical Methods; EDUC 824 Fundamentals of Educational Research; EDUC 825 Development and Learning; EDUC 830 Qualitative Research Methods I: Philosophical Foundations of Qualitative Research; EDUC 867 Issues in Educational Policy and Research; EDUC 876 Histories of School and Schooling.

Career pathways

As one of only 21 Ph.D. programs worldwide recognized by the International Society of the Learning Sciences, our graduates are uniquely positioned to be leaders among the next generation of educational researchers, prepared for careers in industry, government, and academia.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate School minimum (applies to all graduate programmes): a four-year bachelor's degree (or international equivalent) from an accredited institution completed before graduate study begins and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or better; application via the Graduate School online application with transcripts, three recommendation letters, statement of purpose and CV, plus any programme-specific tests/materials; international applicants add a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test score; admission decisions are made by each programme.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applicants apply for a start term; fall is the main start term. Very few programmes admit new students for spring or summer terms.

Graduate applications and payment must be received by the deadline of the academic programme applied to, which varies by programme; the application closes at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the deadline date. The Graduate School recommends complete applications by December 15, 2026 for full fellowship consideration.

Apply through the official page: https://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions/

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