The Curriculum Studies Program is evolving! Students applying to the PhD program after August 2021 will belong to its new iteration known as Critical Pedagogies and Urban Teacher Education. Current doctoral students accepted into the Curriculum Studies program will be able to continue in that program.
This new name reflects the importance of critical pedagogies as a core principle driving research, and highlights the integral role urban teacher education has in developing curricula, practices, and policies that challenge barriers to equal educational opportunities.
After years of research, local and national discussions, and external reviews by leading faculty in the field, the PhD Curriculum Studies (CS) program faculty have reinvigorated Curriculum Studies concentration by focusing on and strengthening its two key tenets: Critical Pedagogy, and Urban Teacher Education. This new name reflects the importance of critical pedagogies as a core principle driving research. It aligns closely with the College of Education’s mission and vision which commits to ‘make good on the promise of public education’.
September 2025
College of Education
1040 W. Harrison St.,
ETMSW, MC 147,
CHICAGO,
Illinois,
60607, United States
Baccalaureate Field No restrictions.
Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study and for all postbaccalaureate course work.
TOEFL 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Test); 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21 (revised Paper-Delivered Test) Note: Total score is higher than the sum of the subscores. OR IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, OR PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
The application deadline is Dec/01 for Fall Semester.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.