Curriculum and Instruction, Ph.D.

• Required Materials
  • Transcripts
  • Three references from current/past faculty and supervisors
  • Curriculum vitae
  • A professional writing sample
  • Statement of purpose
• Timeline
  • The Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction reviews applications annually
  • Applications are due the first Monday in January each year – January 4, 2027
  • Admissions decisions are communicated to applicants by the beginning of March
  • Students should plan to start during the following Summer term
  • Applications submitted after the deadline will be reviewed once applications which met the deadline have been considered
  • A summer start is not guaranteed if the January deadline is not met
  • Students have nine years to complete the program, which starts from the date of the first course taken
    • If transfer credits from a prior institution are accepted, the date of the first transfer course is counted as the start date.
• Transfer Credits
  • The program will accept six transfer hours from an accredited institution if these align with program requirements.
    • Appropriate faculty must determine that the course or courses to be transferred are appropriate for the program of study and are graduate-level courses beyond the master’s degree. Contact program director Tina Heafner or the coordinator for the specific concentration you are interested in to begin this process.
    • Your grades in these transfer courses must be an A or B to be accepted.
    • Transfer courses must have been taken in the last five years to be eligible.

At this time, the college does not have specific funding to support Curriculum & Instruction Ph.D. students. There are, however, a variety of ways students can fund their education through loans, scholarships, and assistantships.

Below are listed some resources for you to explore for funding your doctoral education.

• view the Graduate School’s funding webpage for additional ways to fund your graduate education
• view the University’s Scholarship Office web page 
• view the Hire-A-Niner section of the University Career Center for on-campus jobs
• view Graduate Admissions – External Funding information
• reach out to your advisor for other funding stream suggestions

The Graduate School offers guidance for international applicants with regard to admissions questions like language proficiency, degrees from outside the U.S., visas and finance information, and more.

You can also visit the International Student and Scholar Office site for a helpful checklist of tasks for after you are admitted, as well as more details about resources for international Niners.

We expect that most students will be admitted to start in the summer, enroll part-time, and take six hours per term. The program recommends students begin their coursework in summer with an urban core, research, or specialization course before joining the fall cohort, but summer courses can be limited based on demand and funding. More details around course planning timelines. can be found on each individual concentration page.

While in the program, students are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all coursework taken. An accumulation of two C grades will result in termination of the student’s enrollment in the program. If a student makes one grade of Unsatisfactory in any course, then enrollment in the program will be immediately terminated.

Doctoral students are expected to actively and enthusiastically engage in a variety of opportunities that will both contribute to their program and prepare them for their desired careers after graduation. For example, students should be able to:

• Read and reflect on complicated texts
• Prepare for class thoroughly in order to participate in intellectual discussions with deep analysis and synthesis
• Submit reflective and purposeful assignments with appropriate formatting by the established due date
• Develop an organized compilation of foundational readings throughout all courses using a systematic process of tracking and note taking
• Plan for and embrace the depth of knowledge and skills required to produce a research study that has the potential for making a significant contribution to the field
• Present at local, state, and/or national conferences
• Write for publication
• Show the potential for service to the field
• Exhibit professional ethics and outstanding conduct in all situations

Cato College offers many resources for students to plug into as part of their Ph.D. program, be they professional organizations, research centers, or nonprofits benefitting the Charlotte community. Common ways for Ph.D. students to engage with the campus and city community include:

• Educational Leadership Student Organization (ELSO)
• Urban Education Collaborative
• Charlotte Urban Institute