About Curriculum and Instruction
The UW Ph.D. program in curriculum and instruction is designed for educators with a minimum of three years teaching experience who are looking to move into tenure-track academic positions and other roles that demand high-level teaching and research skills.
Offered online with a residency component, the UW curriculum and instruction program allows you to choose from among four concentrations while also making it possible—whether you live here or abroad—to satisfy many of your requirements at a distance. In addition there are face-to-face residency experiences in the program that will facilitate strong post-secondary teaching skills and mentoring for your research.
Alumni from UW’s Ph.D. program in curriculum and development go on to distinguished careers as teachers and scholars who are making a profound difference through their work moving the field forward.
Have questions about the admissions process? View our admission requirements page!
A Ph.D. in in curriculum and instruction allows you to match your degree to your individual interests. We offer 4 concentrations from which to choose:
Concentrations & Options
What Can You Do With a Curriculum and Instruction PhD Degree?
With a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, you can pursue advanced leadership roles in education, shaping how and what students learn. Graduates often become university professors, education researchers, curriculum directors, instructional coordinators, teacher educators or education consultants. Many work in K–12 or higher education settings, while others influence policy, lead nonprofit education initiatives or design learning experiences for museums, publishers or edtech companies. This degree prepares you to drive innovation in teaching, learning and educational equity.
The UW Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction prepares you for a career in academia so
you in turn can help prepare the next generation of educators and advance the discourse
in our field.
Recent Ph.D. graduates in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wyoming
have worked at the following institutions:
- Colorado State University
- Eastern Washington University
- Kasseshart University, Thailand
- New Mexico State University
- Northern Arizona University
- University of Alabama
- University of Northwestern Ohio
- University of Dubai
- University of West Georgia
- University of Maine, Orono
- Wilkes University
- University professor
- Teacher educator
- Educational researcher
- Curriculum specialist or director
- Instructional coordinator
- School district administrator
- Education policy analyst
- Educational consultant
- Director of teaching and learning
- Assessment and evaluation specialist
- Nonprofit education program leader
- Edtech curriculum designer
- Museum or informal education program developer
UW Ph.D. students have been published in the following journals:
- Journal of Mathematics Education
- The Mathematics Enthusiast
- Journal of Research in Special Education Needs
- Journal for the Education of the Gifted
- Journal of Literacy Research
The UW Ph.D. program in curriculum and instruction offers a personalized doctoral-level
experience, providing coursework, teaching opportunities, conference participation
along with collaborative and individual research, that aligns with your professional
interests.
As Tia Frahm, Ph.D. ’18, assistant professor at Northern Arizona University, put it:
"We truly have an amazing community. I had the opportunity to work alongside many
wonderful doctoral students during my time at Wyoming. This led to collaborations
on research publications with fellow doctoral students along with national and international
conference presentations."
"I was interested in studying the development of second language literacies. My chair respected my choice and research interests. She contacted the most prominent scholars in the field of second language literacies, and Dr. Keiko Koda, a professor from the Carnegie Mellon University, agreed to serve on my Ph.D. committee. This example illustrates the unprecedented support that doctoral students receive in literacy at UW."
- Anna Shur, Ph.D. '18