Our doctoral students lead the way in finding meaningful solutions
As a doctoral student here, you’ll go beyond the conversations about unprecedented challenges in educational settings across the country and globe — you’ll be on the front-lines in driving toward meaningful solutions that create sustainable changes for good.
First all, you’ll have access to our nationally recognized faculty, with the potential to support their research as you identify and pursue your other scholarly interests. You’ll have opportunities to present findings at national conferences and write grant proposals. You’ll also be able to tap into our broad resources, including research support and our affiliate centers and research labs.
Choosing Your Program/Concentration
Choosing the right Ph.D. program is a significant step in your academic journey and future career.
Start by reflecting on your research interests, past academic and professional experiences, and where you hope to go in your future career. Then, review our doctoral programs linked below, our faculty, and their research interests in our faculty directory and research labs directory to identify faculty mentors (and their affiliated program/concentration) whose research aligns closely with your interests.
Remember, you can always reach out to Sharon Zumbrunn, Director of Ph.D. Programs (skzumbrunn@vcu.edu) for any questions or concerns about Ph.D. study. You're not alone in this decision; we are here to support you!
- Ed.D. in Leadership
- Ph.D. in Education:
- Ph.D. in Special Education
Ed.D. vs. Ph.D.
Our Ed.D. in Leadership engages you as future leaders of learning organizations with practitioner-oriented knowledge and skills, authentic leadership and research experiences, and opportunities for reflection that will enable you to succeed in different leadership roles. We use three analytic lenses – equity, accountability and learning theory – to guide your coursework and enable our students from diverse backgrounds to consider learning through common perspectives.
As an R1 Ph.D. program, the Ph.D. in Education ensures that graduates are highly competitive for positions–with an emphasis on faculty and postdoctoral fellowship positions–upon graduation. The Ph.D. in Education also prepares individuals for leadership in industry or state and local research and policy environments, as well as a variety of other educational arenas, including school administration, curriculum and instruction development, and private and public organizations and agencies specializing in research and evaluation. Students are provided opportunities to build on their life experiences and interests through the advanced study of important ideas and practices, through the conduct and application of research, and through interactions with nationally-recognized faculty and other Ph.D. students from departments across the university.
The Ph.D. in Special Education, also an R1 Ph.D. program, prepares researchers who are ready to assume leadership positions at universities, research centers, state departments of education, or other educational and governmental institutions in the field of special education. The program provides a solid research foundation, broad theoretical perspectives, and structured opportunities to develop expertise in research, teaching, and policy/service. Grounded in core knowledge through focused coursework and an emphasis on both “learning” and “doing,” doctoral students are mentored by faculty members who are engaged in school-based research and dissemination.
Holmes Scholars
If you’re pursuing your Ph.D. and part of an historically underrepresented community, you could be eligible for the VCU Holmes Scholars Program. It provides you with resources and professional development to best position you for tenure-track faculty positions.