Education: PhD, EdD

The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, which houses the School of Teacher Education and Leadership, ranks in the top 2% of all graduate colleges of education. The college has been ranked third in the nation in total research dollars received, according to "America's Best Graduate Schools" U.S. News & World Report.

The School of Teacher Education and Leadership administers a program leading to a doctoral degree in education with a required specialization in curriculum and instruction. The degree is designed for educators who wish to prepare to become curriculum specialists, coordinators, or supervisors in public or private school systems or state departments of public instruction, and for those preparing to work as faculty members at the college or university level, generally in a teacher preparation area.

The PhD prepares candidates for academic careers in institutions that demand research expertise and an understanding of the theoretical foundations of a specific field. The PhD in Education degree is currently the only distance-delivered doctoral degree in the state.

Attention: The EdD program previously offered by the School of Teacher Education and Leadership is NOT currently accepting applications. Those interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in education should consider the Ph.D. in Education program.

Students must choose an area in which to focus their research. These areas are:

• Instructional Leadership
• Mathematics Education and Leadership
• Literacy Education and Leadership
• Cultural Studies
• Science Education

Specialization(s):

• Curriculum and Instruction: This specialization will prepare you to become a curriculum specialist, coordinator, or supervisor, or to work at the college or university level.

• PhD -  Logan, Beaver, Bicknell, Blanding, Brigham City, Castle Dale, Cedar City, Cortez (CO), Delta, Ephraim, Heber City, Junction, Kanab, Kaysville, Moab, Montezuma Creek, Monticello, Monument Valley, Nephi, Orem, Panguitch, Richfield, Roosevelt (Uintah Basin), St George, Tooele, Tremonton, USU Eastern (Price), Vernal (Uintah Basin), Wendover
• EdD -  Logan

The EdD program prepares candidates to serve as curriculum and instruction leaders in public or private educational institutions and to teach in education and education-related programs in colleges and universities.

Graduates with the PhD generally pursue careers in academia.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have a master's degree and a minimum of two years of teaching experience. Generally, applicants have master's degrees in education-related fields, but the department may accept those with degrees in other fields in certain circumstances if applicants have teaching experience.

Application Requirements:

• Complete the online application
• Pay the $55 application fee
• Score at or above the 40th percentile on the GRE
• GPA of 3.0 or higher during most recent 60 semester hours
• Provide curriculum vitae or resume
• Provide personal essay describing experiences, goals, and research interests
• Provide transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate credits
• Provide three contacts for letters of recommendation

International students have additional admissions requirements.

Admission Deadlines

The department has the following deadlines:

• February 1 for Fall admittance
• February 1 of even-numbered years for Fall admittance into the Distance Doctoral program

Program Requirements

Comprehensive Exam:

Students pursuing the PhD must pass the comprehensive exam after their coursework is completed. They have the choice between a 72-hour take-home exam or an eight-hour exam on campus. Students will be tested on the subjects from their curriculum and instruction, research methods, and their specific concentration courses.

Financial Assistance

A variety of funding opportunities are available on the graduate school website.

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Cindy D'On Jones, PhD, Utah State University
Professor and Interim Department Head, Director, USU Literacy Clinic
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Literacy Instruction & Intervention; Relationship of Reading, Writing, and Discourse
Office: EDUC 385
Phone: (435) 797-7027
Email: cindy.jones@usu.edu

Sarah Braden, PhD, University of Utah
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Language Education, Ethnography, Discourse Analysis
Office: EDUC 339
Phone: (435) 797- 4142
Email: sarah.braden@usu.edu

Steven Camicia, PhD, University of Washington
Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Democratic Education, LGBTQ-Inclusive Education, Global Education
Office: EDUC 390
Phone: (801) 518-3193
Email: steven.camicia@usu.edu

Website: http://www.stevencamicia.org/

Mitchell Colver, PhD, Utah State University
Professional Practice Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Higher Education
Office: DE 413
Phone: (435) 797-0623
Email: mitchell.colver@usu.edu

Amanda Deliman, PhD, Indiana University, Bloomington
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Early Childhood and Elementary Literacy Education, Children’s Literature, Critical Literacy, and Teacher Education
Office: USU - Salt Lake Center 134
Phone: (435) 797-4234
Email: amanda.deliman@usu.edu

Parker Fawson, EdD, Brigham Young University
Professor, EEJ Endowed Chair in Early Education, Director of Center for the School of the Future
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Early Literacy, Teacher Education, Education Policy and Innovation
Office: ECERC 321
Phone: (435) 797-0240
Email: parker.fawson@usu.edu

Andrea Hawkman, PhD, University of Missouri
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Social Studies Education, Race/ism and Whiteness, Justice-Oriented Teacher Education, Qualitative Research Methods
Office: EDUC 395
Phone: (435) 797-4143
Email: andrea.hawkman@usu.edu

Scott Hunsaker, PhD, University of Virginia
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Gifted and Talented Education, Advanced Readers
Office: EDUC 382
Phone: (435) 797-0386
Email: scott.hunsaker@usu.edu

Sarah Jarnagin, M.Ed., Sam Houston State University
Professional Practice Assistant Professor
Advisor - M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership & Administrative/Supervisory Concentration
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: School Culture, Instructional Leadership, School Improvement
Office: EDUC 393
Phone: (435) 255-2514
Email: sarah.jarnagin@usu.edu

Suzanne Jones, PhD, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Emotions & Learning; Collective Efficacy; Conceptual Change learning
Office: EDUC 380
Phone: (435) 797-1568
Email: suzanne.jones@usu.edu

Shireen Keyl, PhD, University of Arizona
Assistant professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Education of Girls and Women in Global Context, Subaltern Pedagogy, Multicultural Education
Office: Ephraim 235
Phone: (435) 797-5647
Email: shireen.keyl@usu.edu

Ryan Knowles, PhD, University of Missouri
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Social Studies, Citizenship Education, Quantitative Research
Office: EDUC 335
Phone: (573) 514-5134
Email: ryan.knowles@usu.edu

Alyson Lavigne, PhD, University of Arizona
Assistant Professor
Advisor - M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership & Administrative/Supervisory Concentration
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Supervision and Evaluation, Leadership in Schools that Serve LatinX and Dual Language Learners
Office: EDUC 394
Phone: (435) 797-0389
Email: alyson.lavigne@usu.edu

Max Longhurst, PhD, Utah State University
Professional Practice Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Teacher Professional Learning, Science Education, Appropriation of Professional Learning
Office: EBLS 239
Phone: (435) 797-7093
Email: max.longhurst@usu.edu

Kimberly Lott, PhD, Auburn University
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Science education
Office: EBLS 241
Phone: (435) 797-1103
Email: kimberly.lott@usu.edu

Beth MacDonald, PhD, Virginia Tech
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Early Childhood Mathematics Education; Student Cognition and Learning
Office: EDUC 331
Phone: (435) 797-1097
Email: beth.macdonald@usu.edu

Sherry Marx, PhD, University of Texas
Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Multicultural Education, ESL Education, Qualitative Research
Office: EDUC 341
Phone: (435) 797-2227
Email: sherry.marx@usu.edu

Emma Mecham, PhD, University of Utah
Professional Practice Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: American Indian Education, Equity in Education, Place-Based Learning, Teacher Education
Office: EDUC 332
Phone: (435) 797-8435
Email: emma.mecham@usu.edu

Eric Mohr, PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Professional Practice Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Secondary Literacy, Curriculum Design, Assessment Design
Office: EDUC 398
Phone: (435) 797-0828
Email: eric.mohr@usu.edu

Kathleen Mohr, EdD, Texas A&M-Commerce
Professor, Director of Graduate Programs
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Language and Literacy Development, Early Reading Instruction, Linguistics and English Learners, Cognitive Processes, Reading Difficulties, Teacher Discourse
Office: EDUC 399
Phone: (435) 797-3946
Email: kathleen.mohr@usu.edu

Patricia Moyer-Packenham, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Professor, Mathematics Education and Leadership Programs Director
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Math Manipulatives (virtual and physical); Mathematical Representations
Office: ECERC 318
Phone: (435) 797-2597
Email: patricia.moyer-packenham@usu.edu

Amy Piotrowski, PhD, Florida State University
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: 21st Century Literacies, Digital Literacies, Young Adult Literature, Teacher Education
Office: USU-Vernal, Bingham 221A
Phone: (435) 722-1771
Email: amy.piotrowski@usu.edu

Website: http://www.amypiotrowski.com

Nicole Pyle, PhD, Claremont Graduate University
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Literacy interventions, Dropout prevention, College Readiness
Office: EDUC 392
Phone: (435) 797-0392
Email: nicole.pyle@usu.edu

Sylvia Read, PhD, Utah State University
Professor and Associate Dean for Teacher Education
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Writing Instruction in Grades K-6
Office: EDUC 330E
Phone: (435) 707-4109
Email: sylvia.read@usu.edu

Marla Robertson, PhD, Texas Woman's Univrsity
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Writing Instruction, Literacy Professional Development, Analysis of Children’s Literature and Informational texts, Integrating technology in Literacy, Complex Systems Analysis
Office: Roosevelt 114D
Phone: (435) 722-1752
Email: marla.robertson@usu.edu

Kortney Sherbine, ,
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Literacy and Cultural Studies
Office: EDUC 388
Phone: (435) 797-3947
Email: kortney.sherbine@usu.edu

Jessica Shumway, PhD, Utah State University
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Early Childhood Mathematics Education; Instructional Strategies for Number Sense Development; Teachers Mathematics Knowledge Development
Office: EDUC 397
Phone: (435) 797-2501
Email: jessica.shumway@usu.edu

Mario Suarez, PhD, Texas A&M University
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Cultural Studies
Office: EDUC 334
Phone: (435) 797-0590
Email: mario.suarez@usu.edu

Amanda Taggart, EdD, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Assistant Professor
Instructional Leadership M.Ed. Advisor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Educational Leadership, Instructional and Cultural Leadership, Social Justice
Office: EDUC 396
Phone: (435) 797-1474
Email: amanda.taggart@usu.edu

Colby Tofel-Grehl, PhD, University of Virginia
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Science education, Technology and Making in STEM, Gifted Education
Office: EBLS 242
Phone: (435) 797-1432
Email: colby.tg@usu.edu

Kathy Cabe Trundle, PhD, University of Tennessee
Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Early Childhood Science Education
Office: EDUC 384
Phone: (435) 797-0195
Email: kathy.trundle@usu.edu

Rachel Turner, PhD, Texas A&M University
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Social Studies Education, Curriculum Integration, Qualitative Research Methods
Office: USU Eastern/Price WIB 239
Phone: (435) 613-5020
Email: rachel.turner@usu.edu

Katherine Vela, PhD, Texas A&M University
Assistant Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Elementary Mathematics Education, STEM Education
Office: USU Eastern/Price WIB 243
Phone: (435) 613-5018
Email: katherine.vela@usu.edu

Amy Wilson-Lopez, PhD, University of Georgia
Associate Professor
Department: School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Area: Adolescent Literacy, Disciplinary Literacy, Engineering Education
Office: EDUC 333
Phone: (435) 797-0376
Email: amyalexandra.wilson@usu.edu

Professional Organizations, Honor Societies, and Clubs

American Education Research Association: AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. The broad range of disciplines represented by the membership includes education, psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science.

Labs, Centers, Research

Edith Bowen Laboratory School: EBLS is one of Utah’s charter schools, offering services to more than 300 students grades K-5. The school, in cooperation with Utah State University, trains more than 200 pre-service teachers preparing to become professional educators, as well as supporting several other departments/colleges on campus, including special education, physical education, music, psychology, and business. Because the school is funded through state funds and donations, no tuition is charged to students.

InTech Collegiate High School: InTech Collegiate High School is a public charter high school located on USU’s Innovation Campus. The school focuses on math, science, and engineering and seeks to provide academic opportunities to all students, particularly at-risk and minority students. InTech maintains its student body size below 300, and its average class size below 25.