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Doctoral programs.
The goal of the GSE PhD in Education is to prepare the next generation of leading education researchers. The cornerstone of the doctoral experience at the Stanford Graduate School of Education is the research apprenticeship that all students undertake, typically under the guidance of their academic advisor, but often with other Stanford faculty as well.
In this apprenticeship model, doctoral students are provided with a multi-year funding package that consists of opportunities each quarter to serve as teaching and research assistants for faculty members' courses and research projects. By this means, and in combination with the courses they take as part of their program, students are prepared over an approximately five-year period to excel as university teachers and education researchers.
The doctoral degree in Education at the GSE includes doctoral program requirements as well as a specialization, as listed below, overseen by a faculty committee from one of the GSE's three academic areas.
Doctoral programs by academic area
Curriculum studies and teacher education (cte).
- Elementary Education
- History/Social Science Education
- Learning Sciences and Technology Design
- Literacy, Language, and English Education
- Mathematics Education
- Science, Engineering and Technology Education
- Race, Inequality, and Language in Education
- Teacher Education
Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS)
- Developmental and Psychological Sciences
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS)
- Anthropology of Education
- Economics of Education
- Education Data Science
- Educational Linguistics
- Educational Policy
- Higher Education
- History of Education
- International Comparative Education
- Organizational Studies
- Philosophy of Education
- Sociology of Education
Cross-area specializations
Learning sciences and technology design (lstd).
LSTD allows doctoral students to study learning sciences and technology design within the context of their primary program of study (DAPS, CTE, or SHIPS).
Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE)
RILE trains students to become national leaders in conducting research on how race, inequality, and language intersect to make both ineffective and effective educational opportunities. RILE allows students to specialize within their program of study (DAPS, CTE, or SHIPS).
Other academic opportunities
- Concentration in Education and Jewish Studies
- PhD Minor in Education
- Stanford Doctoral Training Program in Leadership for System-wide Inclusive Education (LSIE)
- Certificate Program in Partnership Research in Education
- Public Scholarship Collaborative
“I came to Stanford to work with faculty who value learning in informal settings and who are working to understand and design for it.”
Doctoral graduates were employed within four months of graduation
of those employed worked in organizations or roles related to education
For more information about GSE admissions and to see upcoming events and appointments:
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Doctor of Philosophy in Education
The Johns Hopkins School of Education’s full-time PhD program offers an individually tailored learning experience based on a student’s interest in finding solutions to pressing education problems. Select applicants receive full tuition and a stipend.
The School of Education will pause admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD) program for the 2025-26 academic year while we add several programmatic improvements. The next intake for admission to the PhD program will be for students who want to matriculate in the Fall 2026 semester. The online application will open in August 2025 to begin accepting submissions, and the application completion deadline will be December 16, 2025. Please complete our Request for Information Form to receive updates and announcements for the next admission period.
The program provides rigorous interdisciplinary training that develops students’ abilities to conduct evidence-based research on real-world educational challenges. Instruction and mentorship emphasizes the development and evaluation of policies and practices that address real-world educational problems.
Students benefit from a one-to-one apprenticeship model that pairs exceptional interdisciplinary candidates with nationally acclaimed faculty mentors, along with engaging coursework, sophisticated methodological training, and cohort-based learning.
Questions? Please reach out and we’ll be in touch soon.
Learn about our PhD students.
Upcoming Admissions Events
Have questions about our degree programs, the application, or financial aid and costs? Join us for an inside look at a graduate experience defined by innovation and driven by evidence-based research. Learn more about your area of interest or career path, meet some of our faculty, and connect to the Johns Hopkins School of Education community. Check out our admissions events and register for a virtual information session today.
Fall 2024 Semester Classes Begin
International Teaching & Global Leadership Cohort Info Session
Education Policy Info Session
Core Faculty
Jennifer adams, phd.
Associate Professor Director, International Teaching and Global Leadership
Affiliation
Innovative Teaching & Leadership
International Teaching & Global Leadership
Robert Balfanz, PhD
Professor Co-Director, Center for Social Organization of Schools
Center for Social Organization of Schools, SOE Leadership
Education Policy & Politics, Research, Evaluation & Assessment, Social Context of Education
Ashley Rogers Berner, PhD
Associate Professor Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy
Institute for Education Policy, SOE Leadership
Curriculum Studies, Education Policy & Politics, Research, Evaluation & Assessment
Rebecca Cruz, PhD
Assistant Professor
Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, Innovative Teaching & Leadership
Education Policy & Politics, Social Context of Education, Special Education
Marcia Davis, PhD
Associate Professor (Research) Co-Director, Center for Social Organization of Schools Director of Research, Baltimore Education Research Consortium
Learning & Instruction, Research, Evaluation & Assessment
Norma L. Day-Vines, PhD
Professor Associate Dean for Diversity and Faculty Development
SOE Leadership
Counseling & Human Development
Hunter Gehlbach, PhD
Professor Faculty Lead, PhD Program
Advanced Studies in Education
Learning & Instruction, Measurement & Research Methodologies
Odis Johnson, Jr., PhD
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Executive Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools Director, Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, and Mixed Methodologies
Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, SOE Leadership
Education Policy & Politics, Measurement & Research Methodologies, Social Context of Education
Richard Lofton, PhD
Center for Safe and Healthy Schools
Education Policy & Politics, Social Context of Education
Douglas J. Mac Iver, PhD
Center for Social Organization of Schools
Curriculum Studies, Research, Evaluation & Assessment
Martha Abele Mac Iver, PhD
Associate Professor Associate Dean of Research
Research, Evaluation & Assessment
Olivia Marcucci, PhD
Advanced Studies in Education, Center for Safe and Healthy Schools
Social Context of Education
Ebony McGee, PhD
Counseling & Human Development, Postsecondary Education, Social Context of Education, Urban Education
Stephen Morgan, PhD
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor
Measurement & Research Methodologies, Social Context of Education
Jonathan Plucker, PhD
Research Professor Faculty Lead, Master of Science in Education Policy
Counseling & Educational Studies
Education Policy & Politics, Gifted Education, Learning & Instruction
Eric Rice, PhD
Social Context of Education, Urban Education
Joshua C. Schuschke, PhD
Educational Technology
Alexandra Shelton, PhD
Learning & Instruction, Special Education
Angela R. Watson, PhD
Assistant Research Professor
Institute for Education Policy
Education Policy & Politics
Program Overview
With its goal of pursuing big ideas and sharing knowledge to address real-world challenges, Johns Hopkins University takes pride in its founding mission as the U.S.’s first research university. The full-time Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education at the Johns Hopkins School of Education embraces that tradition. We offer a world-class, research-focused program that prepares exceptional scholars to investigate and develop policies and practices that improve educational outcomes from pre-K through secondary school and beyond.
Students draw insights from different disciplines (e.g., educational psychology, learning sciences, sociology of education), synthesizing their knowledge to craft multidisciplinary, evidence-based approaches to address educational policies and practices — particularly those that can improve outcomes for historically underserved populations. Immersion in modern research methods — advanced statistical techniques, open science approaches, and data science — facilitates students’ capacities to argue for research-based educational reforms.
Students benefit from the mentorship of nationally acclaimed researchers in an apprenticeship model as well as collaborative learning opportunities from courses, research groups, and their cohort. Our graduates go on to careers in higher education as professors, policymakers, and influential scholars at research-intensive universities, institutes, and centers.
All PhD students at the School of Education are eligible for a fellowship for up to four years. The fellowship includes a yearly stipend and will cover tuition and fees. The fellowship also covers individual health, dental, and vision insurance. All PhD students must be registered full time and be in good academic standing every semester to continue to be eligible for their fellowship.
Through our PhD program, students acquire cutting-edge research skills that position them for tenure-track faculty positions in higher education, policymaking roles with state agencies or school systems, and leadership positions in educational research organizations.
- Research and Post Secondary Teaching
- University Professor
- University Researcher
- Policy Analyst
“ What set my experience apart was the chance to work with remarkable mentors who are not only impactful researchers in the field, but also genuinely care about me as a person.
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The Ph.D. in Education is an interdisciplinary doctoral program that combines advances in the social sciences, sciences, arts, and humanities with deep expertise in educational research, policy, and practice to train students for careers as academics, researchers, policymakers, and leaders who will improve educational outcomes in the United States and around the world. Ph.D. candidates will collaborate with faculty from across Harvard graduate and professional schools and conduct groundbreaking research — forging new fields of inquiry that will transform education practice and policy. Candidates for the Ph.D. in Education choose from among three concentrations: Culture, Institutions, and Society; Education Policy and Program Evaluation; or Human Development, Learning and Teaching.
All Ph.D.s are granted through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
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